A federal judge in the United States, Robert Pitman, has put a stop to the enforcement of a Texas law known as the 'Texas App Store Accountability Act' (SB 2420). This law, initially slated to come into effect on January 1st of the following year, mandated that mobile app stores carry out age verification procedures for their users.

Judge Pitman is of the opinion that the proponents of this law have a slim chance of success. He further emphasized that the law needs to be scrutinized using the most stringent criteria, as stipulated by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The state of Texas, according to the judge, has not managed to establish a rational link between its policy goals and the methods employed to achieve them. Consequently, he deemed the law unconstitutional in the majority of its intended applications.

The Computer & Communications Industry Association, along with student rights advocacy groups in the United States, have each filed separate lawsuits in an effort to block the law from being implemented. On the other hand, Texas maintains that the law is constitutional. The state retains the right to appeal this decision, and its Attorney General's Office has not issued any statements regarding the matter as of yet.

Moreover, the U.S. Congress is currently in the process of reviewing similar legislation. In response to these regulatory pressures, companies that operate app stores are taking proactive measures to make necessary adjustments.