Apple, Google, Meta, Amazon, and the advocacy organization Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) are contesting the Texas App Store Accountability Act, which requires age verification for app downloads within Texas. As reported by Engadget, SEAT and the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) have initiated legal actions to prevent the law from taking effect on January 1, 2026. The CCIA counts members such as Apple, Google, Meta, Intel, Shopify, Amazon, and Uber among its ranks.

The Texas App Store Accountability Act, endorsed by Governor Greg Abbott in May, obligates app store operators to confirm users’ ages prior to app downloads or in-app purchases. If users are categorized as minors, parental consent is obligatory. Although app stores like Apple’s currently provide parental controls, these are optional and must be configured by the parents. The new legislation would enforce age verification for all users in Texas.

Online age verification necessitates users to present government-issued ID, which raises issues about data privacy and potential inaccuracies in determining users’ ages. Ambika Kumar, a lawyer representing SEAT, contends that the First Amendment does not permit the government to mandate parental approval for teenagers seeking access to information, barring specific instances like obscenity. The statute is perceived as an unconstitutional limitation on free expression.

The CCIA also issued a statement concerning its lawsuit, highlighting its commitment to online safeguards for young users, but not at the cost of free expression and privacy. Stephanie Joyce, CCIA’s senior vice president, asserted that the Texas law infringes upon the First Amendment by limiting app stores from providing lawful content and forcing developers to display their products in a manner approved by the state. The CCIA is pursuing the annulment of the law and its obstruction from enforcement due to its constitutional infringements.