The state of Texas has taken a significant step in the ongoing debate over children’s access to smartphone applications. Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill that will require major tech companies, Apple and Google, to verify the age of users on their app stores.
The new legislation, set to take effect on January 1st, mandates parental consent for users under 18 to download apps or make in-app purchases. This move places Texas at the forefront of a national conversation about regulating smartphone use among young people.
Texas is not alone in this endeavor. Utah passed a similar law earlier this year, and there are efforts at the federal level to introduce comparable legislation. The significance becomes clear when we consider recent polling data. According to a Pew Research poll conducted in 2023, 81% of Americans support requiring parental consent for children to create social media accounts.
We should note that concerns about social media’s impact on children’s mental health have been growing globally. Reports indicate that dozens of U.S. states are pursuing legal action against Meta Platforms, and the U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory on safeguards for children.
This law has sparked a debate within the tech industry. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has suggested that age verification should be handled at the app store level, rather than by individual applications. However, Apple and Google have expressed opposition to the Texas bill, citing concerns about blanket requirements to share age data with all apps.
Both sides of this issue present compelling arguments. Child safety advocates argue that app store age verification is necessary for effective parental control. Conversely, tech companies propose more targeted approaches, sharing age range data only with apps that require it.
The evidence suggests that this debate is far from over. As more states consider similar legislation, and with a federal bill in the works, the tech industry and policymakers will need to find common ground on how best to protect young users while respecting privacy concerns.
