The US Supreme Court allows Texas to enforce the App Store Accountability Act, which requires app stores to verify users' ages and obtain parental consent before minors download apps or make in-app purchases while litigation continues in lower courts.Justice Samuel Alito denies emergency petitions in an unsigned order that follows a decision by the Fifth US Circuit Court of Appeals that suspended a district court injunction and cleared the way for enforcement statewide.Plaintiffs including the Computer & Communications Industry Association and Students Engaged in Advancing Texas say the statute forces age checks and parental approvals that will curtail access to news, educational material and other First Amendment-protected expression.Texas Attorney General
Ken Paxton says the law is necessary to protect children from privacy risks, harassment and harmful content, while industry groups warn the mandate could become a model for broad state-level online restrictions.