{"id":6517,"date":"2026-07-06T19:05:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T19:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517"},"modified":"2026-07-06T19:05:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T19:05:52","slug":"supreme-court-lets-texas-enforce-law-that-restricts-app-purchases-by-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids"},"content":{"rendered":"

The case stems from a law that seeks to give parents more control over their kids\u2019 app downloads and in-app purchases. A challenge is ongoing in lower courts.<\/strong><\/p>

Read more China test-fires long-range missile into Pacific, rattling U.S. allies<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
The Supreme Court case contends with children’s online safety and constitutional guarantees of free speech. (iStock)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to pause enforcement of a Texas law that restricts which apps children can download from online stores, in a case that involves the balance of online safety for kids and the Constitution\u2019s free-speech guarantees.<\/p>\n

Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the law last year in an effort to give parents more control over their kids\u2019 app downloads and in-app purchases. It requires users to verify that they\u2019re at least 18 years old; if they are not, minors must receive consent from their parents for every download or in-app purchase. California, Louisiana and Utah have passed similar age-verification laws for app stores.<\/p>\n

The high court\u2019s brief, unsigned order allows the law to be enforced while a challenge to it plays out in lower court. The justices did not explain their reasoning.<\/p>\n

A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the law in December, a week before the law was set to take effect Jan. 1. Judge Robert Pitman sided with a group of minors who claimed the law restricts their access to content in violation of the First Amendment, saying it cut off access to a \u201cuniverse of speech.\u201d<\/p>

Read more Giannis, traded to Heat, bids farewell to Bucks, calling Milwaukee \u2018my city, my team, my family\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Act is akin to a law that would require every bookstore to verify the age of every customer at the door and, for minors, require parental consent before the child or teen could enter and again when they try to purchase a book,\u201d Pitman wrote.<\/p>\n

A panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit stayed the ruling, saying Pitman erred in finding a likely free-speech violation. The students then turned to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued in a brief to the high court that the law is meant to allow parents to direct the upbringing of their children. He also noted that before downloading apps, children are vulnerable to agreeing to terms of service that can include <\/b>\u201cwhether the child\u2019s location will be tracked, whether the child\u2019s privacy will be protected, whether information from the child\u2019s phone can be sold by the developer, and whether the child waives the right to sue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last year, the Supreme Court affirmed another Texas law<\/a> that requires users to verify their age to access porn sites in a case that similarly weighed children\u2019s safety against free-speech concerns.<\/p>

Read more Emily\u2019s List weighs in on the crucial Senate race roiling Democrats<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The case stems from a law that seeks to give parents more control over their kids\u2019 app downloads and in-app purchases. A challenge is ongoing in lower courts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nSupreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids - Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The case stems from a law that seeks to give parents more control over their kids\u2019 app downloads and in-app purchases. A challenge is ongoing in lower courts.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Moving Insider USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-06T19:05:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ea6d7eddecc08ee1501326a44267e071.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2121\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1414\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"headline\":\"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T19:05:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517\"},\"wordCount\":490,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517\",\"name\":\"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids - Moving Insider USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-06T19:05:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg\",\"width\":2121,\"height\":1414,\"caption\":\"Close up of elementary student typing text message on smart phone while sitting at the desk in the classroom. (iStock)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?p=6517#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Moving Insider USA\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/movinginsiderusa.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids - Moving Insider USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids - Moving Insider USA","og_description":"The case stems from a law that seeks to give parents more control over their kids\u2019 app downloads and in-app purchases. A challenge is ongoing in lower courts.","og_url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517","og_site_name":"Moving Insider USA","article_published_time":"2026-07-06T19:05:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2121,"height":1414,"url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ea6d7eddecc08ee1501326a44267e071.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03"},"headline":"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids","datePublished":"2026-07-06T19:05:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517"},"wordCount":490,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg","articleSection":["Interesting"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517","url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517","name":"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids - Moving Insider USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-06T19:05:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dfd095dce8b1ee62cde82b6d4e859d13.jpg","width":2121,"height":1414,"caption":"Close up of elementary student typing text message on smart phone while sitting at the desk in the classroom. (iStock)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=6517#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Supreme Court lets Texas enforce law that restricts app purchases by kids"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/","name":"Moving Insider USA","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/#\/schema\/person\/22d40ab81790f6a361021763bb56ef03","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com"],"url":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}