Texas governor signs app store age verification measure
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill Tuesday requiring app stores, such as those run by Apple and Google, to verify user ages amid a push to ramp up protections for children online.
The Lone Star State is the second to pass a law putting the responsibility of age verification on app stores, following Utah's lead. The Texas law is set to go into effect Jan. 1.
Apple has pushed back on the measure, emphasizing that it shares the 'goal of strengthening kids' online safety' but is concerned it 'threatens the privacy of all users' by requiring app stores to collect and keep sensitive personal information about users.
'We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information,' an Apple spokesperson said in a statement.
The pushback reflects a wider debate over who bears responsibility for determining users' ages — apps themselves or app stores.
Social media giants, like Meta, X and Snap, have voiced support for shifting the onus of age verification onto app stores, as the conversation comes to Washington.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. John James (R-Mich.) introduced a bill earlier this month that, much like the measure from Lee's home state, would require Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store to verify user ages.
Meta is also part of a new lobbying group in Washington, The Coalition for Competitive Mobile Experience, pushing for app store age verification. They argue that app stores are best suited to handle the issue because they already have age data.
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