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Texas, United States, has enacted a new state law requiring minors to obtain verifiable parental approval before downloading apps from digital app stores, affecting major platforms such as Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Lawmakers framed the measure as a child-safety initiative intended to give parents greater oversight of their children’s smartphone use and online exposure, including what kinds of social media, gaming, or messaging services they can access. Supporters in the state legislature say the law responds to mounting concern about the impact of unfiltered online content on young users and aims to place families, rather than technology companies, at the center of decisions about digital access. Texas, United States, has also drawn criticism from civil liberties advocates and industry groups, which warn that the law could undermine user privacy, require collection or verification of additional personal data about minors and parents, and impose complex compliance burdens on technology companies. The measure is already intensifying the standoff between state policymakers and large technology firms over who sets the rules for children’s digital lives. Legal and operational responses from major app stores are expected as they work to adapt their systems to the new requirements, and officials in other U.S. states are closely monitoring how the rollout in Texas affects families, app developers, and platform operations.

Prepared by Lauren Mitchell and reviewed by editorial team.