---
title: "Supreme Court Lets Texas Enforce Its App-Store Age-Check Law"
description: "The US Supreme Court has declined to block a Texas law that requires app stores to verify users' ages and get a parent's consent before minors can download apps, letting the state enforce it while a First Amendment challenge continues. The law bears directly on how Apple and Google run their stores."
category: "Technology"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/technology
author: "Jasmine Howard"
published: 2026-07-06T22:30:00.000Z
updated: 2026-07-06T22:30:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/supreme-court-lets-texas-enforce-its-app-store-age-check-law
tags: ["supreme-court", "texas", "age-verification", "app-stores", "technology"]
---
# Supreme Court Lets Texas Enforce Its App-Store Age-Check Law

The US Supreme Court has declined to block a Texas law that requires app stores to verify users' ages and get a parent's consent before minors can download apps, letting the state enforce it while a First Amendment challenge continues. The law bears directly on how Apple and Google run their stores.

The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for Texas to begin enforcing a law that requires app stores to check users' ages and obtain a parent's approval before a minor can download an app or make a purchase, [SCOTUSblog reported](https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/07/supreme-court-allows-texas-to-enforce-law-requiring-age-verification-and-parental-consent-on-app/). The justices did not rule on whether the law is constitutional; they simply declined to put it back on hold while the legal fight plays out.

## What the court did

In a brief order, the court refused to reinstate a lower-court injunction that had blocked the measure, leaving in place a federal appeals court's decision to let it take effect. Because the order was procedural, the underlying question, whether the law violates the Constitution, remains unresolved and continues in the lower courts.

## What the law requires

The Texas law, passed in 2025, requires that app-store accounts used by people under 18 be tied to a parent or guardian, [the Texas Tribune reported](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/28/texas-apple-google-app-store-age-verification/). Before a minor downloads an app or makes an in-app purchase, the parent must be notified of the app's age rating and give consent. The rules fall most heavily on Apple and Google, which run the dominant app marketplaces, and companies that fail to comply can face financial penalties.

## The two sides

Supporters, including Texas officials, say the law gives parents real oversight and helps shield children from content and features that may not be appropriate for them, part of a wider push by states to regulate minors' access to online services. Opponents, including a technology-industry group that sued, argue it burdens free speech and privacy, [the Washington Times reported](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/6/supreme-court-wont-block-texas-enforcing-law-requiring-age/). They warn that verifying ages can force the collection of sensitive personal data and can limit adults' as well as children's access to lawful content, and a lower-court judge had earlier found the law likely ran afoul of the First Amendment.

## A wider trend

The case is one of several testing how far states can go in policing online access by age, an area where courts have reached differing conclusions and where the Supreme Court has yet to settle the core constitutional questions. For now, the practical effect is immediate: in Texas, the biggest app stores must operate under the new age-check rules, even as the argument over whether those rules are lawful is far from over.

## Sources

- [Supreme Court allows Texas to enforce law requiring age verification and parental consent on apps](https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/07/supreme-court-allows-texas-to-enforce-law-requiring-age-verification-and-parental-consent-on-app/)
- [Supreme Court won't block Texas from enforcing app age-verification law](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jul/6/supreme-court-wont-block-texas-enforcing-law-requiring-age/)
- [Texas app age verification law can go into effect for now](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/05/28/texas-apple-google-app-store-age-verification/)