Texas passes App Store age verification law, despite Tim Cook's concerns

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Texas will now require age verification for use of the iOS App Store, thanks to the state's App Store Accountability Act, which was passed against Apple's wishes.

Smartphone screen showing a blue and green prohibition symbol on a white background.
Texas's App Store Accountability Act has been signed into law, despite Apple's wishes.



On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law an act that requires Apple and Google to verify the ages of App Store users. If a user is under the age of 18, their account must be linked to a parent or guardian, who would then have to approve each app download.

Apple's attempts to argue against the bill, which included a phone call from Apple CEO Tim Cook to Governor Abbott, have seemingly failed. As noted by Reuters, Texas' App Store Accountability will take effect on January 1, 2026. A similar bill in Utah has already passed and took effect on May 7, 2025.

Legislators claim the act itself was created to protect children and prevent them from accessing age-inappropriate content. It's meant to give parents more control over their children's online activity and to comply with the fact that minors can't legally consent to app terms.

Before the bill was signed into law, Apple deployed six lobbyists in Texas and funded local advertising campaigns, which said the bill was "backed by porn websites," among other things.

Apple claimed the bill would force it to collect and store sensitive personal data, like government IDs or other identifying information, from all users, not just children. The iPhone maker's arguments, however, were not enough to prevent the App Store Accountability Act from becoming law in Texas.

While Apple criticized the App Store Accountability Act, some companies have expressed support for it. Meta, Snap, and X applauded the bill, which is in line with their previous statements.

"Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child's age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way," said the social media companies. "The app store is the best place for it, and more than one-third of US states have introduced bills recognizing the central role app stores play."

Utah's law and Texas's App Store Accountability Act are part of a broader push by state legislatures to regulate tech companies in the absence of federal action. They could soon become a model for similar efforts across the United States, and companies like Apple and Google are aware of this.

In February 2025, Apple published a whitepaper detailing the age assurance features it would be implementing. Through a new developer API, Apple wanted to make it easier for parents to set up App Store accounts for their children, but it remains to be seen if the company will need further measures to meet the requirements of the bill.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,464member
    It's the new Government boondoggle. 

    EFF has been fighting age verification mandates because they undermine the free expression rights of adults and young people alike, create new barriers to internet access, and put at risk all internet users’ privacy, anonymity, and security. We do not think that requiring service providers to verify users’ age is the right approach to protecting people online. 

    https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/04/digital-identities-and-future-age-verification-europe ;

    There are plenty of products that work at the router level to block access to harmful websites and Apple at least has acceptable parental controls 
    via Screen Time.  The Law of Least Action would put the protection at the gateway or local.  Just like we have door locks that prevent casual access to our 
    homes. We don't have to send our house key to the regional government office or to anyone else. 
    hlee1169JanNLdamn_its_hotAlex1N
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  • Reply 2 of 12
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,670member
    Good. Kids are more important than profits. Let kids enjoy a wholesome childhood for crying out loud. 

    You can have all the “parental control” products in the world and they won’t get used if it’s not constantly reminder and dead simple. Most parents are either too lazy or too tech averse to set it up. 

    Age verification makes this constantly reminder and dead simple. Kudos to Texas. 
    edited May 27
    diman80Wesley_Hilliardhlee1169JanNLbonobobthtgrandact73damn_its_hot
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  • Reply 3 of 12
    As a parent, I can definitely say that this is a bad idea. Apple already lets me mark accounts as a child account. As such, when one of my kids asks to be allowed to download an app, it has to get permission from me or my wife. This is already a simple enough solution to this problem, and it puts the onus of the situation where it belongs: WITH THE PARENTS.

    The moment that you are having additional age verification, you are having to store sensitive information. Since the App Store (and Google Play for that matter) would be known for having to store not just the date of birth but some other verification of the age of a child, you now have a known location to try to get all sorts of PII (Personal Identifiable Information). So, by doing this "for our children" you have in effect made them LESS SECURE.

    Also, the argument of "parents can't be bothered or ill-informed" is making other entities or people responsible for your kids instead of the parents. It is a nonsense argument at best; and a dangerous one at the worst.
    hlee1169JanNLknoxDavidiOS_Guy80bonobob9secondkox2grandact73damn_its_hotmacguiexceptionhandler
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  • Reply 4 of 12
    williamlondonwilliamlondon Posts: 1,548member
    This legislation, if it withstands court appeals, will be an absolute nightmare to implement, most likely absolutely impossible to manage for both sides (App Store and parents). More performance crap from that party that decries the "nanny state" and "big gubbmint." Good god, voting Republicans, learn some logic (esp. hypocrisy) and wake up and stop voting these utter morons into office.
    hlee1169iOS_Guy80bonobobdamn_its_hotAlex1N
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  • Reply 5 of 12
    diman80diman80 Posts: 44member
    As a parent, I can definitely say that this is a bad idea. Apple already lets me mark accounts as a child account. As such, when one of my kids asks to be allowed to download an app, it has to get permission from me or my wife. This is already a simple enough solution to this problem,...

    Not exactly true. In reality, setting up Screen Time and App Store preferences for children of different age groups is quite complicated. The system works slowly (e.g., approvals via iMessage), and it’s not cross-platform. So having age-based limits at the App Store level does make sense.

    An Apple ID already contains enough private information, so no additional data needs to be shared. Privacy isn’t a concern in this case because if a child’s account is connected to a parent’s, no personal information is required, but if it isn't — then parents have no control. That’s exactly the loophole that App Store-level age management is meant to address.

    hlee1169JanNLbonobobwilliamlondon9secondkox2damn_its_hot
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  • Reply 6 of 12
    hmlongcohmlongco Posts: 651member
    diman80 said: An Apple ID already contains enough private information, so no additional data needs to be shared. 
    That's incorrect. An Apple ID could be created with an email address and by adding a credit card number (or even just a prepaid card number) for payment. That doesn't include age, a drivers license number or PII, a birth certificate, a passport, or other information.

    And that's information that must be uploaded and stored in order to have proof of age.

    Worse, we don't have any sort of standardized API associating "proof of age" such that we can simply ask "is this user old enough" w/o giving away more information than we should.
    hlee1169JanNLwilliamlondondamn_its_hotAlex1N
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  • Reply 7 of 12
    Wesley_Hilliardwesley_hilliard Posts: 620member, administrator, moderator, editor
    Good. Kids are more important than profits. Let kids enjoy a wholesome childhood for crying out loud. 

    You can have all the “parental control” products in the world and they won’t get used if it’s not constantly reminder and dead simple. Most parents are either too lazy or too tech averse to set it up. 

    Age verification makes this constantly reminder and dead simple. Kudos to Texas. 
    "Think of the kids" -- said by someone who is definitely thinking of the kids every time.

    The reality is this is a nightmare for children and their privacy. I hope if legislators demand such a terrible system that Apple provides the best version of one we could get. One that preserves privacy and security of every user.
    williamlondon9secondkox2grandact73Alex1N
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  • Reply 8 of 12
    JonGjong Posts: 28unconfirmed, member
    Good. Kids are more important than profits. Let kids enjoy a wholesome childhood for crying out loud. 

    You can have all the “parental control” products in the world and they won’t get used if it’s not constantly reminder and dead simple. Most parents are either too lazy or too tech averse to set it up. 

    Age verification makes this constantly reminder and dead simple. Kudos to Texas. 

    Why is it we expect companies to parent our kids? Why should companies be forced to make up for the fact that some parents are lazy? Why should my experience as a parent of two teen girls be degraded (having to setup all this extra verification) because other parents are lazy and can't spend 10 minutes with some AI bot giving them step-by-step on how to setup a family account and control the logins of their kids?

    You want to say that kids under a certain age can't buy a phone, or device, on their own? great. Regulate the sale of the product, which is the purview of government. Don't regulate what I do with it after it is purchased, that infringes on my rights to do what I want with my property.

    Also isn't Texas, and Mr. Abbott, all about parental rights to allow us to do what we want with our children? Oh wait, that's only as long as you do it the way they want.
    williamlondonmuthuk_vanalingamdamn_its_hotAlex1N
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  • Reply 9 of 12
    bonobobbonobob Posts: 409member
    Apple should just assume that everyone in Texas is under 13, and send all app download requests to Big Daddy Governor of Texas for approval.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 10 of 12
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,670member
    Good. Kids are more important than profits. Let kids enjoy a wholesome childhood for crying out loud. 

    You can have all the “parental control” products in the world and they won’t get used if it’s not constantly reminder and dead simple. Most parents are either too lazy or too tech averse to set it up. 

    Age verification makes this constantly reminder and dead simple. Kudos to Texas. 
    "Think of the kids" -- said by someone who is definitely thinking of the kids every time.

    The reality is this is a nightmare for children and their privacy. I hope if legislators demand such a terrible system that Apple provides the best version of one we could get. One that preserves privacy and security of every user.
    Actually it's more protective of the kids and even their parents. "think of the kids" can be abused in situations like corporate or government monitoring of everything you do, sure. But this is nowhere near that. This is more like going to the gas station and trying to buy cigarettes when you are 15 years old and being asked for ID. You already need a credit card to use the App Store. 

    And Apple is known for being privacy-centric. That's not getting thrown out the window just because they are now being forced to make sure they're authorizing the right people.
    damn_its_hot
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  • Reply 11 of 12
    Wesley_Hilliardwesley_hilliard Posts: 620member, administrator, moderator, editor
    Good. Kids are more important than profits. Let kids enjoy a wholesome childhood for crying out loud. 

    You can have all the “parental control” products in the world and they won’t get used if it’s not constantly reminder and dead simple. Most parents are either too lazy or too tech averse to set it up. 

    Age verification makes this constantly reminder and dead simple. Kudos to Texas. 
    "Think of the kids" -- said by someone who is definitely thinking of the kids every time.

    The reality is this is a nightmare for children and their privacy. I hope if legislators demand such a terrible system that Apple provides the best version of one we could get. One that preserves privacy and security of every user.
    Actually it's more protective of the kids and even their parents. "think of the kids" can be abused in situations like corporate or government monitoring of everything you do, sure. But this is nowhere near that. This is more like going to the gas station and trying to buy cigarettes when you are 15 years old and being asked for ID. You already need a credit card to use the App Store. 

    And Apple is known for being privacy-centric. That's not getting thrown out the window just because they are now being forced to make sure they're authorizing the right people.
    Having to reveal the age of every user to every app downloaded, whether it is social media or a calculator app, is a violation of privacy. The law is also the gateway to more control over the child and their speech by parents and the government. As Reuters points out, there's another bill that is waiting for the Senate vote that will use the age verification law to restrict all social networks to people over 18. While social media can be a problem, it is also a lifeline to children seeking belonging and togetherness. By isolating anyone under the age of 18 from their peers and the rest of the world, you take away yet another right to exist as you are.

    The law is a comically evil broach of basic rights. The parents should be the ones that decide how their kids access the internet and what apps they use, not the government. "But the children" is being used here to control what media children have access to, and that is dangerous. Texas is one of the states where they are banning books and education programs to ensure their children aren't exposed to outside views. Now they are coming for their access to information via the internet.

    Thankfully, kids are smart. It isn't hard to get around these things. But that isn't the point -- the US government shouldn't be dictating what information people, even children, have access to. 
    134859secondkox2damn_its_hotmacguiAlex1N
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  • Reply 12 of 12
    1348513485 Posts: 400member
    I'm glad my kids are grown and faring very well in the world. We raised them from an early age with guidance, expectations and rules, and they were quite aware that they didn't want to disappoint us. We did not prohibit their access to things, and although they made a few mistakes sometimes, they knew we expected them to make smart decisions. And often they would ask us first if we would be OK with something.  Maybe we just had really smart kids.

    I expect the government to stay the f**k out of our parenting. I'm afraid we would be scofflaw parents in this case and wouldn't restrict access to much of anything. Our kids could go to the library and look at any book or magazine they wanted to, just like I did when I was young. Somehow the world didn't crash.

    Look at your own lives: I daresay the vast majority of us have matured reasonably well without the government restrictions on the minutiae of our behavior.  
    muthuk_vanalingam9secondkox2damn_its_hotAlex1N
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