On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a groundbreaking bill requiring the two dominant U.S. app store operators—Apple and Alphabet’s Google—to verify the ages of users accessing their platforms. This legislation places Texas, the nation’s second-most populous state, at the forefront of an intensifying national conversation about regulating children and teenagers’ access to smartphone applications.
Set to take effect on January 1, the new law mandates that users under the age of 18 must secure parental consent before downloading any app or making purchases within apps. Texas joins Utah as the second state to implement such measures this year, while at the federal level, lawmakers have introduced similar legislation aimed at protecting minors online. Additionally, the Texas Legislature is considering another bill that would restrict access to social media platforms solely to individuals aged 18 and above, which has passed the House and awaits Senate approval.
Broad Public Support for Age Verification and Parental Consent
Age restrictions and the requirement for parental consent on social media use have become rare points of widespread agreement across the United States. A 2023 survey by Pew Research Center revealed that 81% of Americans favor parental approval before children create social media accounts, while 71% support enforcing age verification prior to platform use.
This growing consensus arises amid mounting concerns over the effects of social media on young people’s mental health. In recent years, numerous U.S. states have launched lawsuits against Meta Platforms—the parent company of Facebook and Instagram—accusing it of knowingly harming minors. Meanwhile, the U.S. Surgeon General has issued advisories urging safeguards for children’s online safety. Internationally, countries like Australia have banned social media access for children under 16, with nations such as Norway actively contemplating similar regulations.
Industry Divisions Over Implementation of Age Limits
The question of how best to enforce age restrictions has sparked a dispute between social media companies like Meta, and platform providers Apple and Google, which operate the primary app marketplaces for iOS and Android devices.
Meta, together with social media rivals Snap and X (formerly Twitter), publicly supported the Texas legislation. They argue that parents seek a streamlined method to verify their children’s age and grant download permissions in a manner that protects privacy. “The app store is the most logical place for such verification,” the companies stated, noting that over one-third of U.S. states have introduced bills recognizing app stores’ pivotal role in youth digital access.
However, opposition has emerged from Apple and Google, both of which contend that the law imposes excessive burdens by requiring age data collection for all app downloads—even for innocuous applications like weather updates or sports scores. Apple warned that compliance would compel app stores to gather and retain sensitive personal information from every Texan downloading an app, raising privacy concerns.
Legal Challenges Anticipated
Kathleen Farley, Vice President of Litigation at the Chamber of Progress—a technology advocacy group funded by Apple and Alphabet—indicated that the Texas law is poised to face legal challenges on First Amendment grounds. In an interview, Farley explained that the legislation could be interpreted as restricting adult speech under the guise of regulating children’s communications, potentially constituting a content-based digital speech regulation subject to constitutional scrutiny.
Advocates Highlight the Need for Robust Age Verification
Child online safety organizations supporting the Texas bill emphasize that app store age verification is essential to enable parents to effectively control their children’s technology use. Casey Stefanski, Executive Director of the Digital Childhood Alliance, criticized existing self-regulation within the digital marketplace, arguing that app stores have historically prioritized profits over safeguarding children and families.
Industry Proposals for a Balanced Approach
In response, both Apple and Google have proposed alternative frameworks focused on sharing only age-range information with apps that explicitly require such data, rather than blanket verification for all apps. Google’s Senior Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Kareem Ghanem, acknowledged the necessity of legislation but stressed that it must be carefully designed. “Legislation should focus on holding social media companies accountable for harms to children and teenagers while minimizing unnecessary privacy invasions for users,” Ghanem stated.
Broader Implications for Digital Safety Regulation
Texas’ new law marks a significant step in the ongoing effort to regulate children’s access to digital content and applications. As technology companies, lawmakers, and advocacy groups continue to debate the best methods for protecting youth online, the outcome of this legislation and related bills may set important precedents for how the tech industry handles age verification, parental consent, and data privacy in the future.
