Federal Judge Blocks Texas App Store Age Law

A federal judge in Austin, Texas, has issued a preliminary injunction blocking a state law that would have required major app stores to verify the ages of all users, preventing the measure from taking effect on January 1, 2026.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled that the Texas App Store Accountability Act likely violates the First Amendment's protections for free speech. The law, signed by Governor Greg Abbott earlier this year, aimed to enhance child safety by mandating that operators of app stores, including Apple and Google, determine users' ages and share that information with developers. For those under 18, it would have required parental consent before downloading apps or making in-app purchases, with the goal of restricting access to age-inappropriate content.

Pitman's order came in response to lawsuits filed by the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a trade group representing tech companies such as Apple, Google, and Meta, and by a student advocacy organization. The plaintiffs argued that the law would impose excessive burdens on app stores, developers, and users, effectively creating a form of censorship that limits minors' access to lawful...