Insight
SB 2420 at the Fifth Circuit and the Supreme Court
The June 4 stay allowed enforcement of the app-store law; the July 6 Supreme Court order left that stay in place.
Law checked through
SB 2420, the App Store Accountability Act, added chapter 121 to the Business and Commerce Code, effective January 1, 2026. It requires app stores to verify users’ age categories and obtain parental consent for minors’ downloads and purchases, and requires developers to assign age ratings and use app store age signals. Violations are deceptive trade practices.
District-court preliminary injunctions issued in December 2025. On June 4, 2026, the Fifth Circuit stayed them pending appeal and expressly superseded its earlier administrative stay. The Supreme Court denied the application to vacate that stay on July 6. The Fifth Circuit heard argument August 4. The verified orders allowed enforcement without finally deciding the merits. No later merits disposition was located in the primary-source check through October 10; this article reports the dated procedural record rather than asserting a final victory.
App developers that serve Texas users should be prepared to assign age ratings, receive and honor app store age and consent signals and limit their use of that data, while watching for the Fifth Circuit’s merits decision.
Sources
- SB2420, 89th Legislature, Regular Session, 2025
- App Store Accountability Act
- Fifth Circuit App Store Act Stay Order
- Supreme Court App Store Stay Application