"Starting next year, Texas will require companies like Apple and Google to verify the ages of people that use their app stores, and Apple shared today how it's going to comply. Starting January 1st, 2026, anyone trying to make a new Apple Account must confirm if they are over 18, and any users under 18 must join a Family Sharing group. Parents and guardians will also be required to give their consent for users under 18 to download apps or to make in-app purchases."
"Apple already offers a Declared Age Range API that developers can implement to ask users their general age, and the API "will be updated in the coming months to provide the required age categories for new account users in Texas," Apple says. Apple is also launching new APIs "later this year" that "will enable developers, when they determine a significant change is made to their app, to invoke a system experience to allow the user to request that parental consent be re-obtained.""
Texas will require app stores to verify the ages of users, with enforcement beginning January 1, 2026. New Apple Accounts must confirm whether the user is over 18, and users under 18 must join a Family Sharing group. Parents and guardians must give consent for under-18 users to download apps and make in-app purchases. Developers must adopt updated APIs, including an updated Declared Age Range API and new system APIs to re-obtain parental consent after significant app changes. Utah and Louisiana have passed similar laws, and Google has issued guidance for Play developers. The law raises privacy concerns about collecting sensitive personally identifiable information for routine app use.
Read at The Verge
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