A Texas student group and two high schoolers are suing to block a new state law that would require everyone — adults and minors alike — to verify their age before downloading or making in-app purchases.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in federal court by Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) and two minors, argues the App Store Accountability Act violates the First Amendment by restricting access to protected speech.
"The Act imposes content-based prior restraints on speech that replace parents' freedom to moderate their children's access to sources for learning, communication, and creativity," the lawsuit reads. A similar lawsuit against the law was filed earlier in the day by the Computer & Communications Industry Association.
Passed with near-unanimous support during this year's legislative session, the law would require adults to verify their age before downloading any app. Minors couldn't download apps or make in-app purchases without parental approval, and parents would have to prove their identity and give consent each time. The law is set to take effect in January 2026.
Attorneys argue the law would have far-reaching effects, extending beyond social media to educational, news and creative apps like Wikipedia, Duolingo, Audible, Spotify, ESPN, The New York Times — even games like Minecraft. The student plaintiffs, including a high school journalist and a debater, argue it would directly limit their ability to learn, communicate and express themselves.
The lawsuit also points to parental concerns. According to the lawsuit, Vanessa Fernandez, a mother of one plaintiff, believes her son "deserves and benefits from having a certain amount of privacy and autonomy, including over his digital activities. The Act would require her to intrude on [his] privacy and autonomy to a degree she would not otherwise, effectively overriding her parental decision-making."
The lawsuit names Attorney General Ken Paxton as the defendant and asks the court to stop the law from taking effect. Paxton's office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.
The lawsuit lands amid a broader push in Texas to regulate tech platforms and minors' access to them. HB 186 — a separate proposal that stalled earlier this year — would have banned anyone under 18 from using or creating social media accounts in Texas. Lawmakers also passed the SCOPE Act in 2023 to give parents more control over their children's online activity, though parts of that law were later blocked by a federal judge on constitutional grounds.
A Florida law banning children under 14 from social media and requiring parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds was passed last year. The law is being challenged in court but remains in effect. Arkansas, Utah and Oklahoma have also passed or proposed restrictions on minors' access to online platforms.
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