Students and Tech Giants Sue Texas Over Law Requiring Age Verification for App Downloads

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A student advocacy group and two Texas high school students have joined forces with some of the nation’s largest tech companies to challenge a new Texas law that would require mobile app store operators to verify users’ ages and block minors from downloading or purchasing apps without parental consent. The lawsuits, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, claim the measure violates the First Amendment and imposes unconstitutional restrictions on access to speech and information.

Dual Lawsuits Challenge Texas App Store Accountability Act

The student plaintiffs, represented by Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), filed one lawsuit the same day that the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) — whose members include Google, Apple, Meta Platforms Inc., and Amazon — filed a parallel challenge. Both suits target S.B. 2420, the Texas App Store Accountability Act, which is slated to take effect January 1, 2026.

Under the law, app store operators must:

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