Complying With Texas Age Verification
Beginning January 1, 2026, a new state law in Texas — SB2420 — introduces age assurance requirements for app marketplaces and developers. While we share the goal of strengthening kids’ online safety, we are concerned that SB2420 impacts the privacy of users by requiring the collection of sensitive, personally identifiable information to download any app, even if a user simply wants to check the weather or sports scores.
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Once this law goes into effect, users located in Texas who create a new Apple Account will be required to confirm whether they are 18 years or older. All new Apple Accounts for users under the age of 18 will be required to join a Family Sharing group, and parents or guardians will need to provide consent for all App Store downloads, app purchases, and transactions using Apple’s In-App Purchase system by the minor. This will also impact developers, who will need to adopt new capabilities and modify behavior within their apps to meet their obligations under the law. Similar requirements will come into effect later next year in Utah and Louisiana.
The way Apple wrote this, it sounds like they aren’t going to require verification of existing accounts. They also don’t say which “sensitive” information they’ll need to collect, and the legislation leaves this vague. I don’t like the idea of being forced to give Apple my driver’s license (or whatever), but neither do I like the longstanding system where Apple gets to see which apps I’ve installed on my iPhone or launched on my Mac.
Previously:
- Lessons From San Bernardino and ICEBlock
- Bluesky Blocking Access to Mississippi
- Updated Age Ratings in App Store Connect
- Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton
- Tim Cook Opposes App Store Age Verification Bill
- iOS Declared Age Range API
- Age Verification and the App Store
4 Comments RSS · Twitter · Mastodon
I don’t like this on principle but at least Apple is in a position to do it (hopefully) securely through state IDs in Wallet.
Though of course it appears NONE of the states imposing this also support IDs in wallet. Which to me says a lot. Of course they have no interest in effective technology, just backwards religion based rules.
When I saw this in my RSS feed, at first I thought it read "Cosplaying With Texas Age Verification", and was disappointed to find that's not actually what it was.
I wonder if this could "help" finally relax the limit of 6 members in a Family Sharing group.
That is, big families will suddenly have to add their e.g. 8 kids, and complain that it's *not possible* right now. This new law will make it a road block, right?
