Apple Begins Requiring Age Verification For App Store Use In Texas

We’re continuing to see the impact of the wave of age verification laws being passed by US state governments over the last year. Apple announced today that apps distributed in Texas will need to conform to the requirements set out under state law SB 2420. MacRumors first noticed the change, which is taking effect tomorrow for any apps distributed in the state.

New Apple Accounts in Texas will be subject to SB 2420 and will need to verify their ages. A parent or guardian will need to provide consent when minors download apps or significant updates to apps and when they make in-app purchases. Developers will also need to support parents or guardians revoking that consent to access at any time.

The Texas measure was signed into law last May, although legal challenges delayed its planned effective date of January 1. Apple had already laid some groundwork for how it will handle geographically-tied requirements, and the company began adopting age verification for iCloud accounts in the UK in March.