ReutersTexas governor Greg Abbott has enacted a new online child safety law concerning age verification. Set to take effect on January 1, 2026, the legislation has encountered significant opposition from leading tech firms like Apple and Google.
What the bill entails
The bill, introduced by Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, requires anyone under 18 to get parental permission before accessing apps or making in-app purchases. It also makes app stores verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minors can download apps or buy within them.
Under the bill, if a minor uses a device, their App Store account must be linked to their parent’s account. This way, parents will be notified of any app downloads by their child and can approve or deny them.
Another Texas bill, which would restrict social media use to individuals over 18, is currently awaiting a Senate vote. Utah became the first state to enact a similar law regulating app stores, which took effect earlier this year.
Apple CEO’s intervention
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, reportedly reached out to governor Abbott in an effort to persuade him to either scrap or amend the law after it passed through the Texas legislature. Apple, alongside Google, has been collaborating with interest groups to oppose the legislation, warning that enforcing such rules could jeopardise user privacy.
“We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information,” Apple stated, as reported by the BBC.
According to TechCrunch, Apple’s lobbyists successfully blocked a similar bill in Louisiana last year, though the state is now reconsidering the legislation.
Apps at odds
The question of how to enforce age restrictions has sparked a dispute between Meta—the parent company of Instagram and Facebook—and tech giants Apple and Google. Meta, along with social media platforms Snap and X, welcomed the passage of the bill.
"Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child's age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it, and more than one-third of US states have introduced bills recognising the central role app stores play," the companies commented.
In contrast, Apple and Google argue that the Texas bill imposes broad requirements forcing the sharing of age data with all apps, even those that are completely harmless.
“If enacted, app marketplaces will be required to collect and keep sensitive personal identifying information for every Texan who wants to download an app, even if it's an app that simply provides weather updates or sports scores,” Apple stated.
Age limits and parental consent for social media use remain one of the few areas of broad consensus across the US, with a 2023 Pew Research poll revealing that 81% of Americans support parental consent for children creating social media accounts, and 71% favour age verification prior to accessing social media platforms.
What the bill entails
The bill, introduced by Texas State Senator Angela Paxton, requires anyone under 18 to get parental permission before accessing apps or making in-app purchases. It also makes app stores verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent before minors can download apps or buy within them.
Under the bill, if a minor uses a device, their App Store account must be linked to their parent’s account. This way, parents will be notified of any app downloads by their child and can approve or deny them.
Another Texas bill, which would restrict social media use to individuals over 18, is currently awaiting a Senate vote. Utah became the first state to enact a similar law regulating app stores, which took effect earlier this year.
Apple CEO’s intervention
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Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, reportedly reached out to governor Abbott in an effort to persuade him to either scrap or amend the law after it passed through the Texas legislature. Apple, alongside Google, has been collaborating with interest groups to oppose the legislation, warning that enforcing such rules could jeopardise user privacy.
“We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information,” Apple stated, as reported by the BBC.
According to TechCrunch, Apple’s lobbyists successfully blocked a similar bill in Louisiana last year, though the state is now reconsidering the legislation.
Apps at odds
The question of how to enforce age restrictions has sparked a dispute between Meta—the parent company of Instagram and Facebook—and tech giants Apple and Google. Meta, along with social media platforms Snap and X, welcomed the passage of the bill.
"Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child's age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it, and more than one-third of US states have introduced bills recognising the central role app stores play," the companies commented.
In contrast, Apple and Google argue that the Texas bill imposes broad requirements forcing the sharing of age data with all apps, even those that are completely harmless.
“If enacted, app marketplaces will be required to collect and keep sensitive personal identifying information for every Texan who wants to download an app, even if it's an app that simply provides weather updates or sports scores,” Apple stated.
Age limits and parental consent for social media use remain one of the few areas of broad consensus across the US, with a 2023 Pew Research poll revealing that 81% of Americans support parental consent for children creating social media accounts, and 71% favour age verification prior to accessing social media platforms.
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