App Store Accountability Act
Texas App Store Accountability Act
Children
Requires app stores to verify each Texas account holder's age category, link minors' accounts to a verified parent account, and obtain parental consent for minors' downloads and purchases, and requires developers to assign age ratings and use the app store's age signals. A federal district court preliminarily enjoined it on December 23, 2025, but the Fifth Circuit stayed that injunction and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to vacate the stay in July 2026, so the law is enforceable while litigation continues.
- Where
- Texas
- Citation
- Tex. Bus. & Com. Code ch. 121 (121.001-121.102), as added by S.B. 2420, 89th Leg., R.S. (2025)
- Status
- In force
- In force since
- 2026-01-01
- Enforced by
- Texas Attorney General (deceptive trade practice under Bus. & Com. Code ch. 17 subch. E)
- People can sue
- Limited
- Penalties
- A violation is a deceptive trade practice actionable under Bus. & Com. Code ch. 17 subch. E; remedies are cumulative (121.101-121.102).
- Applies to
- Owners of app stores that operate in Texas (subch. B)
- Developers of software applications made available to Texas users through an app store (121.051)
What a privacy notice must say
- App stores must display each app's age rating and content notice.Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 121.023
Practices it requires
- Developers may use app-store age data only for age-related protections, legal compliance, and safety features, and must delete it after verification.Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 121.055
- Minors' accounts must be affiliated with a verified parent account, and parental consent is required for downloads and purchases; blanket consent is prohibited.Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 121.022, 121.026(a)(3)
- App stores must verify each new Texas account holder's age category (child, younger teenager, older teenager, adult) using a commercially reasonable method.Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 121.021
- App stores and developers may not share or disclose personal data obtained for age verification except as the chapter allows.Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 121.026(a)(4), 121.056(a)(3)
Security duties
- App stores must minimize personal data collected for age verification and consent and transmit it using industry-standard encryption.Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 121.025
Other duties
- Developers must assign age ratings to apps and in-app purchases, notify app stores before significant changes to privacy policies or data practices, and verify age category and consent using app-store data.Tex. Bus. & Com. Code 121.052-121.054
Sources
- Official text
- S.B. 2420 (89R) enrolled text (Texas Legislature Online)
- S.B. 2420 (89R) bill history (Texas Legislature Online)
- CCIA v. Paxton (W.D. Tex.) litigation page (CCIA, party source)
- The Texan, SCOTUS allows Texas app store law to remain in effect (news)
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-24 by research agent (Claude), primary sources.
Unverified: Chapter 121 as added by S.B. 2420 was not found on the statutes site (BC ch. 121 there is 'Referral Agencies for Senior Living Communities'); the chapter may be renumbered by a later code-revision bill. Cite from enrolled bill text until confirmed. | Litigation status (Fifth Circuit stay; Supreme Court denial in July 2026) is taken from the CCIA litigation page and news reports, not from court dockets. | Whether consumers may sue under Bus. & Com. Code 17.50 for violations (private_right_of_action marked 'limited') was not confirmed.
Research reference, not legal advice.