Skip to main content

Texas forces Google and Apple to verify ages in app stores. Teen social media ban could be next.

Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a bill signing in the State Capitol on April 23, 2025 in Austin, Texas

Texas has signed into law its online child safety bill, a sweeping measure that mandates Apple and Google must verify user ages and secure parental approval before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases. The law is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.

At the core of this conflict is a broader battle over who bears responsibility for age verification. Apple and Google have clashed with app makers such as Meta, Snap, and Match Group, the parent company of Tinder and Hinge, as state-level legislation on digital safety continues to multiply. Texas joins nine other states, including Utah, that have passed child-focused online safety laws, according to the Age Verification Providers Association.

It's a major win for the Texas Legislature, which is also advancing a more controversial measure: a statewide ban on social media accounts for anyone under 18. For Apple and Google, it’s a significant regulatory setback. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly contacted Governor Greg Abbott directly, urging changes to the bill or a veto.

House Bill 186, Texas’s proposed social media ban, cleared the House last week with bipartisan backing. It is expected to pass the state Senate. If enacted, the law would bar minors from creating accounts on all major social media platforms, including TikTok, X, Facebook, and Snapchat. Age verification would be mandatory, and platforms would need to comply by April 2026.

Parents would also have the right to request the deletion of their child’s account. Social media companies would be required to process those requests within 10 days.

If Abbott signs the bill, Texas would become the first state to enforce a social media ban for minors under 18. Florida currently has a similar law, but its age cutoff is 14, and legislators are now considering raising it to 16.



from Mashable https://ift.tt/G3zUfiQ
https://ift.tt/P9boZqf

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

WORKING 2.0 No Recoil File For PUBG | Anti-Ban File

 WORKING 2.0 No Recoil File For PUBG | Anti-Ban File - techy teacher 2.0 No Recoil File For PUBG Howdy Buddies! We are back with new theme on PUBG versatile 2.0. I genuinely want to believe that you all update your PUBG App in light of the fact that on 11 May PUBG new update has been shown up, and pretty much every client update it. As you most likely are aware my site is the best wellspring of hacking and breaking, on my site you get the most recent reports on game hacks with reasonable recordings. Today, I give you the most recent 2.0 No Recoil File For PUBG. This update is truly astounding, PUBG 2.0 report a few new and intriguing elements with regards to this update. PUBG presents new livik map and in this guide we see a great deal of new things. This new guide is entirely unexpected and PUBG add a few games in it. In this guide, you additionally appreciate soccer challenge and gather coins in remuneration to purchase plunder. How about we examine every one of the new elements ...

Meta Connect 2024: What to expect, including Quest 3S and new AR smart glasses

Meta Connect 2024 is so close, you can almost taste it. Launching during the week of Sept. 23, the social media giant is expected to rollout hardware and software goodies that will intrigue VR gamer enthusiasts, AI aficionados, and smart glasses devotees. But what, specifically, does Meta have up its sleeves? We have a few guesses based on credible reports. What to expect at Meta Connect 2024 Last year, the Meta Quest 3 was announced in early June, but it got its full reveal at Meta Connect 2023. The headset boasted a sleeker, more comfortable design, as well as new AR capabilities, that made it more appealing than its predecessor. Once again, for Meta Connect 2024, the social media giant is expected to drop a new VR headset, but it's not necessarily an upgrade over the Quest 3. Meta Quest 3S Rumor has it that Meta is planning on revealing a cheaper, more budget-friendly version of the Quest 3 called "Quest 3S." Tweet may have been deleted Whether it was intent...

When the clocks change for Daylight Saving Time, and why we do it at all

The clocks on our smartphones do something bizarre twice a year: One day in the spring, they jump ahead an hour, and our alarms go off an hour sooner. We wake up bleary-eyed and confused until we remember what just happened. Afterward, "Daylight Saving Time" becomes the norm for about eight months (And yes, it's called "Daylight Saving" not "Daylight Savings." I don't make the rules). Then, in the fall, the opposite happens. Our clocks set themselves back an hour, and we wake up refreshed, if a little uneasy.  Mild chaos ensues at both annual clock changes. What feels like an abrupt and drastic lengthening or shortening of the day causes time itself to seem fictional. Babies and dogs demand that their old sleep and feeding habits remain unchanged. And more consequential effects — for better or worse — may be involved as well (more on which in a minute). Changing our clocks is an all-out attack on our perception of time as an immutable law of ...