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• Wed May 28 2025

Texas governor signs online safety law in blow to Apple and Google

5 hours ago Share Save Lily Jamali ? @lilyjamali North America Technology Correspondent Reporting from San Francisco Share Save

Reuters Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the state's online child safety bill on Tuesday

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. Under the new law, minors will need parental approval before they can download apps or make in-app purchases. The bill was opposed by Google and Apple. "We believe there are better proposals that help keep kids safe without requiring millions of people to turn over their personal information," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the BBC.

Texas follows Utah, another conservative state, which adopted a similar law earlier this year. At the federal level, US lawmakers have spearheaded the Kids Online Safety Act, known as KOSA, which would require social media companies to make design choices that prevent and mitigate harms to young users. KOSA was passed by the US Senate last year but stalled in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the US Congress. The proposed bipartisan legislation, which Apple supports, was reintroduced in Congress earlier this month. In the absence of a federal law, the states have chosen to come up with their own legislation.