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Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed the App Store Accountability Act, which would force app store operators like Apple and Google to verify a user's age and seek parental consent before letting minors download apps or make in-app purchases.
The Texas law, SB2420, is patterned after similar legislation enacted by Utah earlier this year. App store operators must comply with the new requirements by Jan. 1, 2026.
Apple and Google oppose the law, while platforms like Meta, X, and Snap support it (because it puts the onus on the app stores).
In a lengthy blog post from March, Google slammed Meta for supporting Utah's law. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple CEO Tim Cook even called Gov. Abbott and asked him to veto the bill or request changes to it. Before the bill was passed earlier this month, Apple also lobbied lawmakers to reject it, the report adds.
"We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information," Apple told Bloomberg after Abbott signed the law.
Prior to the bill signing, Google's policy team also told CBS in Austin that it was "one of the most extreme age-verification regimes that we've seen." The company is now assessing its next steps, a spokeswoman tells The New York Times.
Sen. Angela Paxton, who authored the bill, however, says this "puts tools in the hands of parents to make decisions for their own children."
Texas is the largest among the 20 states that have considered such child safety laws for smartphones, the Times notes. Utah became the first state to enact such a law in March, and California and Illinois may be next.
Texas is also considering a ban on social media for users under 18.