Gov. Greg Abbott signs law that requires age verification, parental consent for app downloads

By lauraharris // 2025-06-01

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the App Store Accountability Act on May 27, requiring tech companies like Apple and Google to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent for minors before allowing app downloads. The law takes effect in January 2026.
The legislation responds to alarming mental health trends among American youth, with over half of teens reporting serious psychological struggles linked to excessive screen time and social media use.
The law mandates age verification (using IDs or facial scans), parental account linkage for minors, accurate age-based app ratings and strict data privacy protections, including deletion of verification data and enhanced security.
Apple and Google argue the law risks user privacy and could violate free speech by requiring all users, not just minors, to submit sensitive data. They advocate for less invasive, shared responsibility solutions.
Apple plans to introduce an "age assurance" feature to share age ranges with developers without collecting sensitive documents. Both companies support legislation, but stress it must target social media harms while preserving user rights.

Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a law that requires tech giants like Apple and Google to verify users' ages before allowing downloads from their app stores, amid mounting evidence of a mental health crisis among American youth fueled by the unchecked influence of digital devices and social media. According to recent data, 56 percent of teens aged 13-17 score in the struggling range on mental health assessments – nearly triple the rate for adults. Fifty-one percent of American children report feeling detached from reality, with constant sadness, guilt and anxiety disrupting daily life. Meanwhile, younger teens (13-year-olds) exhibit alarming rates of anger, aggression and even hallucinations compared to older peers. The Facebook Files exposed how tech giants deliberately addict young users, harvesting their data while ignoring the psychological toll. Screen time has surged kids aged 8 to 12 spend four to six hours daily on screens; teens log up to nine hours – nearly a full-time job; 95 percent of teens now own smartphones, up from 73 percent a decade ago; and nearly half (46 percent) are online "almost constantly," double the rate in 2014-2015. In line with this, the Texas App Store Accountability Act, signed into law on May 27 and set to take effect in January 2026, mandates app stores confirm users likely through government-issued IDs or facial scans and obtain parental consent for minors. The law, sponsored by Sen. Angela Paxton (SB 2420) and Rep. Caroline Fairly (HB 4901), seeks to address the digital harms facing children by placing greater responsibility on app store operators – the primary gatekeepers of online content. Central to the bill is a requirement for robust age verification, with users categorized into specific age groups: child (under 13), younger teenager (13-16), older teenager (16-18) and adult. (Related: Utah introduces new digital ID blockchain law.) To ensure parental oversight, the legislation mandates that minors' accounts be affiliated with a parent or guardian, who must provide consent before any app downloads or in-app purchases are allowed. Additionally, app developers would be required to display accurate age ratings aligned with these new categories, promoting clearer guidance for families. The bill also includes strong data privacy measures, such as minimizing the collection of personal data, deleting age verification information once it is no longer needed and implementing enhanced security standards. To enforce compliance, the act designates any violations as deceptive trade practices, giving the Texas Attorney General authority to hold companies accountable.

Tech giants push back on Texas age verification law, citing privacy and free speech concerns

Major tech companies, including Apple and Google, warned that the legislation could compromise user privacy and infringe on free speech. "We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information," an Apple spokesperson said. The company contends that the legislation would force all users, not just minors, to submit sensitive personal data, such as a government-issued ID or facial scans, even for innocuous downloads like weather or calendar apps. Parental control features would also require guardians to provide additional documentation to verify custody. Both Apple and Google have advocated for more balanced alternatives. One proposal involves shared responsibility between app stores and app developers for managing age verification, with age data shared only on a need-to-know basis. Apple, for example, says it is preparing to roll out a new "age assurance" feature that would allow parents to share their child's age range with developers directly. This approach, the company says, avoids the need for app stores to collect and retain highly sensitive personal data like passports or driver's licenses. "If enacted, app marketplaces will be required to collect and keep sensitive personal identifying information for every Texan who wants to download an app," the company stated. Google senior policy executive Kareem Ghanem echoed a similar stance. "We see a role for legislation here," he said. "It's just got to be done in the right way, and it's got to hold the feet of Mark Zuckerberg and the social media companies to the fire because it's the harms to kids and teens on those sites that's really inspired people to take a closer look here and see how we can all do better." Visit PrivacyWatch.news for more stories like this. Watch this video to learn how the digital ID will control your life.

This video is from the Data Dumper channel on Brighteon.com.

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Tech giants push back on Texas age verification law, citing privacy and free speech concerns

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