Supreme Court allows Texas app store age-verification law

The Supreme Court declined to stop Texas from enforcing a state law that requires app stores and developers to verify users’ ages and receive parental consent for children younger than 18 years.

In a one-sentence order Monday, the nation’s high court denied a request to pause enforcement of the law, the Texas App Store Accountability Act, while challenges play out in lower courts.

Plaintiffs, including the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT), argue the law violates the First Amendment by imposing “government controls over protected speech” along with access to “lawful information” like news or education content.

“People should not have to turn over personal data to access the internet any more than they should show government identification to enter a bookstore,” Matt Schruers, CCIA president and CEO, wrote in a Monday statement.

“Equity and the public interest support relief because protecting First Amendment rights — and........

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