Overview
- U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman granted a preliminary injunction on Dec. 23, stopping SB 2420 from taking effect on Jan. 1.
- The court found the law likely unconstitutional under the First Amendment, applied strict scrutiny, and compared it to forcing bookstores to check every customer’s age.
- SB 2420 would have required app stores to verify all users’ ages, collect government ID information, and secure parental consent for minors before downloads or in-app purchases.
- The order followed challenges by the Computer & Communications Industry Association and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, joined by two teens, who argued the statute is overbroad and chills protected speech.
- Texas can appeal to the Fifth Circuit as industry and Congress weigh alternative age‑assurance approaches, with Apple and Google opposing the Texas model on privacy grounds.