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📝 Page Status: Draft — sourced but not yet reviewed

  • Status: draft
  • Sources: 3
  • Relationships: 3
  • Research debt items: 3

Texas App Store Accountability Act (SB 2420 / Bus. & Com. Code ch. 121)

Summary

Texas Senate Bill 2420 (89th Regular Session), the App Store Accountability Act, adds Chapter 121 to the Texas Business & Commerce Code. It requires app-store operators serving Texas users to verify age categories at account creation, affiliate minor accounts with verified parent accounts, and obtain parental consent before minor downloads, app purchases, and in-app purchases. Developers must assign age ratings and use store-provided age/consent data. The Act takes effect January 1, 2026. Enforcement posture has been contested in federal court; see CASE-CCIA-V-PAXTON-SB2420.

Official Sources

Verified Facts

  • The Act’s short title is the App Store Accountability Act; it adds Business & Commerce Code Chapter 121 (Software Applications).1
  • When an individual in Texas creates an app-store account, the store owner must use a commercially reasonable method to verify the individual’s age category.1
  • Age categories are: child (under 13); younger teenager (13–15); older teenager (16–17); adult (18+).1
  • For minors, the store must affiliate the account with a verified adult parent/guardian account and obtain consent through that parent account before download, purchase, or in-app purchase (with limited emergency/nonprofit testing exceptions).1
  • Blanket consent authorizing multiple downloads or purchases is a violation; consent is required for each individual download or purchase.1
  • Developers must assign age ratings based on those categories, notify stores of significant changes affecting ratings/privacy/monetization, and implement systems to use store-provided age category and consent information.1
  • A violation is a deceptive trade practice actionable under Business & Commerce Code Chapter 17, Subchapter E.1
  • Section 3 of the enrolled Act states that the Act takes effect January 1, 2026.1
  • A Western District of Texas preliminary injunction blocked enforcement on December 23, 2025; the Fifth Circuit later stayed that injunction pending appeal (see case page).23

Key Provisions

Provision Duty
§ 121.021 App-store age verification and age categories
§ 121.022 Parental affiliation and per-download/purchase consent
§ 121.023–.024 Age-rating display; developer access to age/consent data
§ 121.025 Minimize personal data; encrypt transmissions
§ 121.051–.055 Developer age ratings, change notices, verification use limits
§ 121.101 DTPA enforcement

Litigation Status Snapshot

As of last verification, district-court preliminary injunctions were stayed on appeal, and the Supreme Court declined emergency relief vacating the stay, leaving the statute enforceable while merits litigation continues. Details and citations: CASE-CCIA-V-PAXTON-SB2420.

Relationships

  • STAT-TX-APP-STORE-ACCOUNTABILITY cites SRC-TX-SB-2420-ENROLLED.
  • STAT-TX-APP-STORE-ACCOUNTABILITY related_to CASE-CCIA-V-PAXTON-SB2420.
  • STAT-TX-APP-STORE-ACCOUNTABILITY related_to TOPIC-APP-STORE-AGE-VERIFICATION.

Sources

  1. SRC-TX-SB-2420-ENROLLED: Texas SB 2420 — App Store Accountability Act (Enrolled Text).
  2. SRC-CCIA-V-PAXTON-PI-ORDER: CCIA v. Paxton PI order (W.D. Tex. Dec. 23, 2025).
  3. SRC-CA5-SB2420-STAY-ORDER: Fifth Circuit stay order (June 4, 2026).

Research Debt

  • Add Vernon's Texas Statutes / Lexis or official code citation once chapter 121 is fully codified online.
  • Add AG enforcement actions or guidance issued after the stay.
  • Track Fifth Circuit merits disposition and any return to district court.

Document metadata

  • Enactment date: 2025
  • Last verified: 2026-08-08

  1. SRC-TX-SB-2420-ENROLLED — Texas SB 2420 enrolled text. Primary legislative text. ↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. SRC-CCIA-V-PAXTON-PI-ORDER — W.D. Tex. order granting preliminary injunction (Dec. 23, 2025). ↩

  3. SRC-CA5-SB2420-STAY-ORDER — Fifth Circuit stay pending appeal (June 4, 2026). ↩