State law governing minors’ use of apps takes effect tomorrow.
We continue to see the impact of the wave of age verification laws passed by U.S. state governments over the last year. Apple today announced that apps distributed in Texas will have to comply with the requirements set out in the state’s SB 2420 law. Woozad I first noticed the change, which goes into effect tomorrow for all apps distributed in the state.
New Apple accounts in Texas will be subject to SB 2420 and will be required to verify their age. A parent or guardian will be required to provide consent when minors download apps or major app updates and when making in-app purchases. Developers will also need to help parents or guardians revoke this access consent at any time.
The Texas measure was signed into law last May, although legal challenges delayed its planned Jan. 1 effective date. Apple had already laid the groundwork for how it would handle geographic requirements, and the company began adopting age verification for iCloud accounts in the UK in March.
