A U.S. District Judge blocked a Texas law requiring age verification and parental consent for minors using apps, citing constitutional concerns about vagueness and overbreadth. The law's supporters aim to protect children online, while opponents argue it infringes on free speech.
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When we make a mistake — and from time to time, we will — we will work quickly to fully address the error, correcting it within the story, detailing the error on the story page and adding it to this running list of Tribune corrections. If you find an error, email, which was supposed to activate on Jan. 1, establishes age verification requirements and mandates parental consent before a minor is allowed to download or make purchases within apps. Its supporters say the law is needed to protect children as they navigate social media and online spaces, while critics say it would violate free speech rights. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman, an Obama appointee, on Tuesday sided with the law’s opponents, saying that parts of it are “unconstitutionally vague” and “exceedingly overbroad.” “The Act is akin to a law that would require every bookstore to verify the age of every customer at the door and, for minors, require parental consent before the child or teen could enter and again when they try to purchase a book,” Pitman wrote in “As set out below, the Court finds a likelihood that, when considered on the merits, SB 2420 violates the First Amendment.”“We built this bill to equip parents with common sense tools to protect their kids AND to survive court challenges by those who may have lesser priorities,” she said in a written statement. The Computer & Communication Industry Association, which filed the lawsuit in October, cheered the decision. “This Order stops the Texas App Store Accountability Act from taking effect in order to preserve the First Amendment rights of app stores, app developers, parents, and younger internet users,” Stephanie Joyce, director of CCIA’s Litigation Center, said in a news release. “It also protects parents’ inviolate right to use their own judgment in safeguarding their children online using the myriad tools our members provide.”“App stores allow anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection to access the accumulated sum of virtually all recorded human knowledge and expression,” Adam Sieff, an attorney representing them, said in a statement Tuesday. “Banning students like SEAT’s members, M.F., and Z.B., from accessing these massive libraries without parental consent, just because the government thinks that’s what their parents ought to want, has never been a constitutionally permissible way to protect kids or support families.” Under SB 2420, developers must assign age ratings to their apps, disclose the reason for the rating, and notify the app stores of any significant changes. Parental consent is not required for specific emergency or educational applications, such as those providing access to crisis hotlines. “Safety and online privacy for Texas children remains a priority for Governor Abbott, which is why he signed SB 2420 into law. Texas will empower parents to have more control over the online content their children can access,” Andrew Mahaleris, his press secretary, said earlier this year. In 2023, the state began requiring companies that operate websites where more than one-third of the material is harmful to minors to use “reasonable” age verification measures to ensure users are at least 18 years old. This law,A group of adult entertainment websites sued, arguing the 2023 law violated free speech and privacy protections. Texas countered that the state had a right to protect children with what Solicitor General Aaron Nielson framed as “simple, safe and common” restrictions.— that restricts what kinds of materials and advertisements minors can see on social media and the age verification requirements, signaling that courts are not unified on how to regulate social media and online youth presence.Texans need the truth. Help us report it. Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible, Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?Texans need the truth. Help us report it. Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible, Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?Alex Nguyen is a general assignment reporter with a focus on criminal justice. Before joining the newsroom in 2025, she was a breaking news reporter at The Dallas Morning News. She previously was a reporting...Stephen Simpson is the mental health reporter, based in Austin, where he covers behavioral health in schools, treatment in the judicial system, substance abuse and the state mental health system, among...
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