A Texas federal judge today blocked an App Store age verification law that was set to go into effect on January 1, 2026, which means Apple may not have to support the changes after all.The Texas App Store Accountability Act (SB2420) requires Apple and other app marketplaces to confirm user age when a person creates an Apple Account.Apple Accounts for users under 18 would need to join a Family Sharing group, with new controls available for parents and restrictions for minors.
In a preliminary injunction that delays the implementation of the act, Judge Robert Pitman said that it violates the First Amendment and is "more likely than not unconstitutional." The injunction was in response to a motion filed by the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), a group that includes Apple and Google.Today's decision is a win for Apple, as Apple has been fighting against age assurance requirements in Texas and other states.Apple says that the Texas law impacts user privacy.
The court will move on to determining whether the law is facially invalid, which would mean that it is unconstitutional and will be entirely thrown out.Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum.All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
