Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a new law mandating Apple and Alphabet’s Google to verify the age of users downloading apps from their stores, requiring parental consent for those under 18. Effective January 1, the law positions Texas at the forefront of U.S. efforts to regulate children’s smartphone use. Utah passed a similar law earlier in 2025, and a federal bill is also under consideration.
The legislation comes amid growing concern over social media’s impact on children’s mental health. A Pew Research poll found strong U.S. support for parental consent and age verification on social platforms. Meanwhile, other countries like Australia and Norway are adopting or exploring similar restrictions.
Meta, Snap, and X welcomed the bill, emphasizing the role of app stores as central hubs for age verification. However, Apple and Google oppose the law, citing privacy concerns and the burden of collecting sensitive age data for all apps, even innocuous ones like weather updates.
Legal challenges are anticipated, with Apple and Alphabet-backed groups arguing the law could violate First Amendment protections by regulating adult speech. Both tech giants propose targeted age data sharing only with apps that need it, while child safety advocates maintain that robust app store age verification is critical to protect children.
Swifteradio.com
