Supreme Court Permits Texas Law Restricting App Downloads by Minors
During a World Cup match in Houston on June 23, spectators were seen taking photos on their smartphones. Meanwhile, a significant legal decision occurred. The Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce a controversial law that limits minors’ access to app stores on mobile devices amidst ongoing lawsuits in lower courts.
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued an order allowing a Texas law to go into effect. This law prohibits minors from downloading apps without parental consent. Various organizations challenged the law, claiming it infringes upon children’s freedom of speech. Despite these challenges, the high court permitted Texas to implement the law while the cases proceed.
Texas passed the App Store Accountability Act in 2025. This law mandates that app stores verify user ages and restricts minors under 18 from downloading most apps without parental approval. Texas justified the law by expressing concerns over minors accessing ‘harmful’ content.
Opponents of the law argue it unconstitutionally violates Supreme Court precedents that affirm children’s significant free speech rights. Texas countered by labeling the regulation as ‘commercial speech’, which garners less constitutional safeguard.
The law makes few exceptions, allowing self-access for apps developed by emergency services and providers of college entrance exams. All other apps, including Instagram, library services, and media outlets, require parental consent for minors.
A lower court initially blocked the law, criticizing it for restricting minors from engaging in online political discussions. However, in June, the conservative Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the previous ruling, reinstating the law.
The Supreme Court’s recent decision keeps the law in place for now, although further legal examination in lower courts continues. Similar regulations have been adopted in Utah, Louisiana, and Alabama.
This situation is not unprecedented for the Supreme Court, which addressed similar issues concerning children’s online access in the past. Last year, the court upheld a Texas mandate that pornographic websites verify users’ ages. Historically, the court treats access to pornography for minors differently than other online access topics.
While the Supreme Court’s decision does not confirm the law’s constitutionality, it permits enforcement as lower courts deliberate. The court’s action, however, suggests tentative support for the law.