App Store Accountability Act

President Donald Trump met with Senators Ted Cruz and Marsha Blackburn to discuss tech policy. Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, is preparing a markup on kids’ online safety and AI bills. Blackburn has negotiated with the White House on a legislative package focused on children’s digital safety, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which Meta has conditionally supported.

Sen. Andy Kim proposes the Digital Age Assurance Act of 2026, requiring operating system providers like Apple and Google to collect user ages for app developers to enforce age-appropriate content. The bill, inspired by a California law, does not mandate independent age verification by app stores but requires parental account creation for minors and bans targeted advertising for users under 18. Concerns remain about self-reported age checks being bypassed by minors.

The U.S. Supreme Court has permitted Texas to enforce the App Store Accountability Act, which mandates age verification and parental controls for app stores, while legal challenges to the law remain ongoing.

Texas' App Store Accountability Act requires minors to obtain parental permission to download most apps. The Supreme Court has allowed the law to take effect while ongoing lawsuits proceed in lower courts.

The Supreme Court refused to block Texas' age verification law for app downloads, which requires minors under 18 to obtain parental consent. A coalition of students and the Computer & Communications Industry Association argued the law violates the First Amendment by restricting access to online content, but their emergency appeals were denied.

The article commemorates Chief Justice John Marshall's death in 1835 and highlights upcoming Supreme Court cases on gun regulations, LGBT rights, voting restrictions, and tech-related issues. It also notes a bipartisan coalition challenging tech age verification laws and conservative efforts to expand trans athlete bans following a recent Supreme Court ruling.

Texas is urging the Supreme Court to maintain an order by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit, allowing enforcement of the App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420), which requires age verification and parental consent for minors accessing apps and paid content. The law faces challenges from groups including Students Engaged in Advancing Texas and the Computer and Communications Industry Association, who argue it imposes excessive restrictions on digital content access and app developers.

A coalition including Mike Pence’s Advancing American Freedom and groups like R Street Institute and NetChoice is urging Senate Commerce Committee leaders to exclude kids’ online safety measures from a national AI framework. The groups argue the proposed bills, such as the Kids Online Safety Act and App Store Accountability Act, risk violating free speech and privacy, with concerns over age verification requirements and data security.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a federal judge's block of Texas's 'App Store Accountability Act,' which mandates parental consent and age verification for mobile app stores. The law now faces an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court, with arguments that it violates the First Amendment.

Texas students, including M.F. and Z.B., have petitioned the Supreme Court to block Texas' App Store Accountability Act, which mandates age verification for app downloads and parental consent for minors under 18. They argue the law disproportionately restricts access to non-harmful content like educational apps, violating the First Amendment. The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) supports the challenge, comparing the law to overreaching age verification requirements for physical businesses.

Apple will implement age verification for Texas App Store users starting June 4, following a federal court allowing Texas' App Store Accountability Act. Users must verify age with a credit card or ID, while those under 18 need a Family Sharing group with a parent's consent.