Supreme Court asked to block Texas app law requiring age verification

Why it matters locally: While this legal challenge originates in Texas, the Supreme Court's decision could set a precedent for similar age-verification laws, potentially influencing future legislative efforts in Wyoming regarding online content access for minors.

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A student group and a tech trade association filed emergency requests with the Supreme Court on Monday asking justices to restore orders blocking Texas from enforcing an age-verification law for apps that a federal judge in Austin had halted. Students Engaged in Advancing Texas and the Computer and Communications Industry Association challenged the Texas App Store Accountability Act, known as SB 2420, as a violation of free speech rights. The law imposes age-verification and parental-consent requirements on minors' app access and was scheduled to take effect January 1, 2026. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman blocked the state from enforcing SB 2420 in December 2025. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit suspended those orders on June 4, prompting the challengers to seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court. Students Engaged in Advancing Texas includes members who use mobile apps for civic education and teenagers who use apps for art and journalism. The group argued that the 5th Circuit's decision would treat "virtually the entire internet" as commercial speech that governments could restrict or ban. The group also stated that Texas already shields minors from adult content online and that the law's stated protection goal does not constitute a valid government interest. The Computer and Communications Industry Association, which represents app stores and developers, contended that allowing SB 2420 enforcement would expose app stores and millions of developers to potential liability and "enormous and unrecoverable compliance costs." The association noted that app stores already offer parental control tools on a voluntary basis. Justice Samuel Alito, who handles emergency applications from the 5th Circuit, instructed Texas to respond to the challengers' filings by 4 p.m. EDT on June 22. About half of all states have passed similar age-verification requirements for minors accessing online content.