A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday blocked Texas from enforcing a new state law aimed at protecting children by requiring app stores and developers to verify the age of users, in a win for Apple, Alphabet’s Google and other technology companies. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin issued a preliminary injunction, against the state’s App Store Accountability Act, finding the measure likely violates the U.S. Constitution’s speech protections under the First Amendment.
The law, which was set to take effect in January, would require parental consent to download apps or make in-app purchases for users aged below 18. Pitman’s ruling was a win for the Computer & Communications Industry Association, which sued to stop the law. The order was a setback to Texas and its efforts to regulate smartphone use by children and teenagers, part of a broader crackdown by some U.S. states to combat potentially harmful effects of social media on young people. Australia this month became the first country to ban social media for children under 16.
The Texas attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The office in a court filing said it will challenge Pitman’s order in an appeal to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Pitman acknowledged concerns about children’s online safety but said “however compelling the policy concerns, and however widespread the agreement that the issue must be addressed, the court remains bound by the rule of law.”
