The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to block a Texas law requiring app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors download apps, a decision that comes as Arizona lawmakers weigh a measure of their own.
The court's July 6 order, issued without comment, let Texas keep enforcing its App Store Accountability Act, Senate Bill 2420, while a legal challenge continues. The order did not rule on the law's constitutionality and does not apply outside Texas, but it adds momentum to a national push that Arizona is now considering joining.
In the Arizona Legislature, House Bill 2920 would require that a minor's app store account be linked to a parent's account and that app stores obtain verifiable parental consent before a minor can access certain apps or major updates. The bill directs the state attorney general to set rules for how app stores verify a user's age category, and it carries a proposed effective date of late November 2026 if enacted. Separately, Gov. Katie Hobbs in May signed a different measure, House Bill 2112, addressing age verification for adult websites.
Texas is among several states that have passed app store accountability laws, alongside Utah, Louisiana and Alabama. The Texas law, in effect since January 1, requires parental approval before anyone under 18 downloads an app or makes an in-app purchase.
The Texas measure was challenged by the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a technology trade group, and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, which argue it violates the First Amendment. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in early August.
