Texas law age-restricting app stores blocked by federal judge
08 January 2019, Hessen, Rüsselsheim: ILLUSTRATION - The App Store (M) logo can be seen on the screen of an iPhone. Photo: Silas Stein/dpa (Photo by Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A federal judge has blocked a Texas law aimed at keeping minors from using app stores without an adult's consent.
The decision is a win for major developers of app stores represented in the federal lawsuit, including Apple, Google and Amazon.
Texas app store law blocked
What we know:
Senate Bill 2420 would have gone into effect on Jan. 1, requiring anyone under the age of 18 in Texas to get parental consent to download an app or make an in-app purchase.
U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman in Austin issued a preliminary injunction against the law, saying it likely violates the First Amendment.
The case against the law, known as the App Store Accountability Act, was brought by Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) on behalf of operators of app stores (like Google, Apple, and Amazon) and developers of mobile apps (like YouTube, Audible, Apple TV, IMDB, and Goodreads).
What's next:
The law can not go into effect as litigation proceeds.
Texas AG Ken Paxton is the sole defendant in the case, and is enjoined from enforcing or allowing enforcement of the law during that time.
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Texas lawsuit over SB 2420
The backstory:
Attorneys for the CCIA argued the law violates First Amendment free speech rights. Before the Austin court hearing last week, CCIA Senior VP Stephanie Joyce issued the following statement:
"We shall show the judge that this law is unconstitutional and should not take effect. This law is grossly overbroad, involves forced-speech mandates, and is not remotely tailored to its stated purpose. It is a deeply flawed statute that the Court should block under the First Amendment."
Other cell phone restrictions
Dig deeper:
Australia recently passed a total social media ban for people under age 16. Texas attempted a similar law with House Bill 18, which was enjoined prior to SB 2420.
A recent report about a school in Kentucky with a cellphone ban quoted administrators about an unexpected benefit. They claim a 61 percent increase in books being checked out from its library since the ban started.
In that Kentucky report, 38 percent of their disciplinary issues involved violating the cellphone ban. The administrators said they hope that number will drop after students come back from the holiday break. It’s too early to tell if that kind of data will be collected as part of the TEA review.
The Source: Information in this article came from a federal court filing and previous FOX Local coverage.