Texas adopts social media age verification law

Social media companies are now required to verify the ages of app store users in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 186 into law on Tuesday. Social media companies have until April 2026 to comply. The platforms must confirm a user is 18 or older before allowing the person to become an account holder, according to the bill. Additionally, social media companies must obtain approval from minors’ parents or guardians before they can download apps or make in-app purchases.

Platforms must provide a process by which verified parents or guardians can request the deletion of a child’s account within 10 days of its creation, according to Texas Policy Research. The bill defines “social media” as an internet website or application that is open to the public, allowing users to create an account. It enables communication with others for the primary purpose of posting information, comments, messages, or images.

Texas Rep. Jared Patterson, a Republican, proposed the bill. He told WFAA-TV in Dallas that social media apps cause more harm to children than anything else that’s legally available. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 report using a social media platform, according to a study by the U.S. surgeon general.

What does this mean for social media platforms? The law pushes social media companies to gather more personal information from users. The bill said the information must only be used for age verification and cannot be shared, used, or transmitted. Users’ identifying information must be deleted as soon as their age is verified. The Computer and Communications Industry Association said it opposes the bill because it would conflict with Texas contract law and undermine teens’ access to information.

Dig deeper: Read Brad Littlejohn’s column for WORLD Opinions about the dangers of online sextortion of teens.