In a loss for big tech, Supreme Court lets Texas put age restrictions on apps

WASHINGTON − The Supreme Court on July 6 said Texas can enforce age verification and parental consent requirements for most apps while those rules are being challenged as a free-speech violation.

Before the state's law could take effect in January, a federal judge blocked enforcement.

But in June, an appeals court allowed the rules to go into effect as the case is being litigated.

The Supreme Court left that order in place, rejecting a request to intervene that was made by an internet technology trade group, a student group and two teenagers who use apps for art and journalism.

A bipartisan group of 27 state attorneys general had backed Texas' position.

Lawyers for the students argued the justices should get involved because courts across the country are reaching different conclusions about whether laws like Texas' are constitutional.

They said the appeals court in this case didn't use the right level of review for First Amendment challenges and applied a standard that "would render virtually the entire internet" the type of speech that governments can more easily regulate.

"No state has ever required its citizens to prove their age before reading a newspaper, entering a bookstore, or even accessing the internet," the Computer and Communications Industry Association said in its appeal.

Texas argued that "the modern digital world is different" from the physical world and said the state has a significant stake in "protecting children's data, safety, and privacy in a digital world."

"Just as States have long protected minors from alcohol, cigarettes, and other harmful products, S.B. 2420 protects children against dangerous modern products," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told the Supreme Court.

The law requires app stores to determine if users are younger than 18. If they are, parental consent is required before a user can download an app or paid content within apps.

Last year, the Supreme Court upheld a different Texas law requiring that pornographic websites verify users are at least 18 to allow access.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Own: In a loss for big tech, Supreme Court lets Texas put age restrictions on apps

Reporting by Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY / USA TODAY Own

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 6, 2026 at 2:28 PM.