Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced a legal victory Monday after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit allowed enforcement of a state law requiring age verification and parental approval for minors downloading apps while the broader legal challenge continues.
The ruling involves Senate Bill 2420, legislation approved by the Texas Legislature in spring 2025 and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on May 27, 2025. The measure was blocked by a federal district judge in December 2025, prompting an appeal by Paxton’s office.
According to the attorney general’s office, the Fifth Circuit ruled that the district court’s injunction should be stayed while the appellate court considers Paxton’s request to keep the law in effect during the appeal process.
The law requires major app store operators, primarily Apple and Google, to use commercially reasonable methods to determine a user’s age. Under the measure, accounts belonging to minors must be linked to a parent or guardian account.
Before a minor can download an application, the parent or guardian must receive notice of the app’s age rating and provide approval. The law applies only to app downloads and purchases made by minors.
State officials say the measure is designed to give parents greater oversight of the digital content their children access and to help them make informed decisions about app use.
“Texas has not only the right, but the duty, to protect children from the harms of our modern digital space,” Paxton said in a statement. “Parents deserve to know what their children are downloading and to have the ability to stop them from accessing harmful or inappropriate content. I will continue protecting Texas children from online predators, exploitation, and dangerous content while defending parents’ fundamental right to guide and protect their children.”
The Fifth Circuit’s decision does not resolve the underlying lawsuit but allows the law to move forward while the court considers the appeal. The case centers on Texas’ efforts to expand parental oversight of minors’ online activity and app purchases through age-verification requirements imposed on app store operators.
