Apple to enforce age verification for app users in Texas as new state law takes effect

Apple will introduce new account and app store requirements for users and developers in Texas starting January 1, 2026, to comply with Texas Senate Bill 2420 (SB2420) — a law mandating age verification for all app marketplace users.

The law requires app platforms to use a “commercially reasonable method” to confirm a user’s age during account creation. Apple says the measure will affect both users and developers while raising privacy concerns due to the collection of personal data.

In a statement published on its Apple Developer site, the company said that while it supports efforts to improve child safety online, the new law “impacts the privacy of users by requiring the collection of sensitive, personally identifiable information to download any app, even if a user simply wants to check the weather or sports scores.”

Under the upcoming rules, all new Apple Account holders in Texas will be required to confirm whether they are 18 or older. Users under 18 will need to join a Family Sharing group, granting parents or guardians the ability to approve or deny all app downloads, in-app purchases, and other transactions.

Developers, meanwhile, will have to adjust their apps to meet Texas’ legal requirements. To assist with compliance, Apple will expand its Declared Age Range API, which allows developers to determine a user’s age category without accessing exact birth dates. Additional APIs will enable developers to prompt users to reverify parental consent when significant app changes occur.

Parents will also gain the ability to revoke consent for minors’ app usage at any time.

Apple’s opposition to SB2420 echoes its stance against similar age-verification laws passed in Utah and Louisiana, which are expected to take effect later in 2026. Company executives, including CEO Tim Cook, reportedly lobbied against the Texas bill before it was signed into law in May.

The company argues that the legislation undermines privacy safeguards by forcing app stores to collect personal data such as birth dates or government IDs. Apple maintains that its privacy-focused tools — including the Declared Age Range API and Family Sharing controls — already offer age assurance without requiring users to share identifying information.

While Texas lawmakers have not defined what qualifies as a “commercially reasonable method of verification,” Apple has not yet disclosed how it will implement the process.