Texas Governor Greg Abbott has signed an online child safety bill that requires Apple and Google to ensure that their app stores verify the age of users in the nation’s second most populous state.
The bill was opposed by Google and Apple.
Laws that call for age-verification has long pitted app store providers like Apple and Google against social media companies.
Meta, which owns the social media network Facebook and photo sharing app Instagram, has lobbied for Apple and Google to be responsible for verifying the age of users.
An Apple spokesperson said the tech giant shares “the goal of strengthening kids’ online safety” but added it was “deeply concerned” by the threat it believes the law poses to the privacy of all users.
An online child safety bill signed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott mandates that Google and Apple make sure their app stores confirm users’ ages in the country’s second most populous state.
Before minors can download apps or make in-app purchases, the new law requires parental consent. Google and Apple were against the bill.
An Apple representative said in a statement on Tuesday, “We think there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information.”.
The BBC reached out to Google for comment, but Google did not immediately reply.
Texas follows the conservative state of Utah, which earlier this year passed a similar law.
The Kids Online Safety Act, or KOSA, was started by US lawmakers and would force social media companies to make design decisions that protect and lessen risks to children.
After passing the US Senate last year, KOSA failed to gain traction in the US Congress’s lower house, the House of Representatives.
Apple is in favor of the bipartisan legislation that was reintroduced in Congress earlier this month.
If there isn’t a federal law, the states have decided to create their own laws.
Social media firms and app store providers like Apple and Google have long been at odds over laws requiring age verification.
Facebook and Instagram are owned by Meta, which has advocated for Apple and Google to be in charge of confirming users’ ages.
Apple CEO Tim Cook called Governor Abbott earlier this month to try to halt the state’s bill from passing, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Although the tech giant supports “the goal of strengthening kids’ online safety,” an Apple representative stated that the company is “deeply concerned” about the threat the law, in its opinion, poses to everyone’s privacy.
“[I]t requires app marketplaces to collect and keep sensitive personal identifying information for every Texan who wants to download an app, even if it’s an app that simply provides sports scores or weather updates,” spokeswoman for the company.
Apple announced a number of new child safety measures in February, one of which is requiring users to choose an age range when purchasing a new device.
When a child under the age of 13 uses the App Store or any other feature that requires the use of their Face ID, their parent or guardian must give their consent.
The law is scheduled to go into effect on January 1st.
Texas has previously pushed for legislation in Silicon Valley.
The state outlawed social media companies’ bans on users based on their “political viewpoints” in 2021 after Republican politicians accused Facebook and the company, then known as Twitter, of censoring their views.
