Texas Phone App Age Law Blocked Days Before Effective Date

Texas can’t require proof of age to download a smart phone app, a federal judge ruled Tuesday, striking down a statute set to take effect Jan. 1 that supporters say would shield children from harmful online material.

While SB 2420 may have good intentions in combating screen time addiction, “the means to achieve that end must be consistent with the First Amendment,” Judge Robert Pitman of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas wrote.

Pitman enjoined the law in its entirety, not just as applied to two groups of plaintiffs—a trade organization that counts app store ...