Federal judge halts Texas app store law over first amendment concerns

AUSTIN, Texas — Dozens of new state laws are set to take effect on January 1. However, a federal judge is blocking one of them, saying the law likely violates the first amendment.

The “App Store Accountability Act” would have required smartphone app stores to verify a user’s age before they make a purchase and require parental consent before someone under the age of 18 can download or make purchases in an app. 

When this bill was up for discussion in the Texas Legislature back in April, the bill’s author state Sen. Angela Paxton, said it would give parents more control over what their kids can access digitally. 

“What we’ve discovered is that many parents are just not aware of the massive volume of apps that are available to their kids,” Paxton said. “It gives them insight into what their kids are looking at and it just puts that back in their hands in a direct way.” 

The Computer & Communications Industry Association sued the state in October, arguing the law imposes a “broad censorship regime” despite existing parental controls from app stores and developers.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled Tuesday that the law is overbroad, likening it to requiring every bookstore to verify customers’ ages at the door and obtain parental consent for children to enter and buy.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office has already filed an appeal to the judge’s ruling.