US Supreme Court allows Texas app store age verification law to take effect
- Texas law remains in effect while the First Amendment lawsuit continues.
- Decision reverses momentum after a federal judge blocked the law last year.
- Parents must approve app downloads for users under 18.
The US Supreme Court has declined to block a Texas law requiring app stores and developers to verify the ages of mobile device users.
As reported by Reuters, the law would also require users to obtain parental consent for minors to download apps or make purchases.
The decision leaves the law in effect after the court rejected requests from the Computer & Communications Industry Association, whose members include Apple and Google, alongside a coalition of students and two individual students.
The challengers argue the measure violates First Amendment free speech protections by forcing app stores to police access to online speech.
"No state has ever required its citizens to prove their age before reading a newspaper, entering a bookstore, or even accessing the internet," said the group in a court filing.
The group added that the Texas law "does exactly that - for every mobile app on every mobile phone".
Legal battle
The ruling comes after a US federal judge blocked the Texas App Store Accountability Act last year, preventing it from taking effect on January 1st.
US District Judge Robert Pitman granted a preliminary injunction, finding the law likely violated the First Amendment and comparing it to requiring bookstores to verify every customer's age before entry and obtain parental consent for minors.
That injunction was put on hold by the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals on June 4th, allowing the law to take effect while litigation proceeds.
The move comes as governments around the world continue to tighten online safety rules for children. The UK is planning an "Australia plus" online safety package that would ban children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates has approved regulations banning children under 15 from creating or using personal social media accounts, making it the first Arab country to introduce a minimum social media age limit of 15.