Apple begins App Store age verification in Texas
What's the story
Apple is rolling out age verification for its App Store users in Texas starting today. The move comes just days after a federal appeals court allowed the state's App Store Account Accountability Act to take effect amid an ongoing lawsuit against it. The new requirement asks residents creating a new Apple account to confirm they're over 18 using either a credit card or government ID.
Verification process
Users under 18 will need to join Family Sharing group
Apple will also verify a user's age automatically, based on their account's age and whether they have a credit card linked. For users under 18, joining a Family Sharing group is mandatory. In this setup, a parent or guardian has to approve app downloads and in-app purchases. Developers are also required to provide age-appropriate experiences for users under 18 and can use Apple's Declared Age Range API to verify a user's age range.
International impact
Apple also set to implement age checks in other regions
Despite its resistance to app store-level age verification, Apple has announced plans to implement age checks in Utah, Louisiana, Brazil, Australia, Singapore and the UK. Google is also making similar changes for its Play Store and introducing age-checking tools for developers. The App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420) was initially blocked by a judge last December but has now been reinstated by an appeals court while the constitutionality of the law is being determined.
Legislative progress
Federal version of Texas law could impose nationwide age verification
Even if the Texas law is overturned, a federal version with the same name is making its way through Congress and could impose age verification at the app store nationwide. This means that tech giants like Apple and Google could have to comply with similar regulations across all states, not just Texas. The development highlights the growing trend of stricter age verification measures in the tech industry.