App Store Carded: Parents Asserting More Authority Over Big Tech When Minors Involved
Every day, children can download social media apps, messaging platforms, games, and other digital products that expose them to addictive content, predators, pornography, and harmful influences—often without their parents ever knowing. Craig DeRoche, CEO of Family Policy Alliance (FPA), is on the front lines of this fight. He can also underscore its importance in compelling terms.
- Texas law requires parental approval before minors download apps.
- U.S. Supreme Court allows enforcement while legal challenges continue.
- Parents regain authority over children’s digital lives.
- Big Tech faces greater accountability for child safety.
- Craig DeRoche explains why other states may follow Texas.
The App Store Accountability Act seeks to require Apple and Google to verify a user’s age and obtain parental permission before a minor can download an app or make in-app purchases. It restores a simple principle that many parents thought already existed: Mom and Dad—not Big Tech—should decide what their children are allowed to put on their phones.
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Last month, Family Policy Alliance joined state lawmakers, policy leaders, and grassroots advocates from across the country at SoConCon, where protecting children and restoring the family as society’s foundational institution were central themes. Now, those conversations are turning into action. The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to block enforcement of Texas’ App Store Accountability Act while legal challenges continue, allowing the law to take effect for now.
For too long, technology companies have built billion-dollar business models around capturing children’s attention while placing the burden on overwhelmed parents to monitor an endless stream of apps and online threats. Parents cannot be expected to investigate every download before it happens, nor should they have to discover dangerous content only after the damage has been done. The Texas law shifts responsibility to the companies that operate the digital storefronts, making parental involvement the default instead of an afterthought.
DeRoche can discuss why this case could become a watershed moment in the fight to protect children online, whether other states are likely to follow Texas’ lead, how the courts may define the balance between parental rights and Big Tech’s business interests, and why this issue resonates with families across every political and cultural divide.
The debate ultimately comes down to a moral question. Should trillion-dollar technology companies have easier access to America’s children than their own parents? Texas has answered that question with a resounding “no,” and the rest of the nation is now watching.
Relevant Article(s):
Texas Can Enforce App Store Accountability Act — For Now – Daily Citizen
Let Parents Parent – Family Policy Alliance
OPTIONAL Q&A:
- What dangers are children downloading onto their phones without their parents knowing?
- Should Apple and Google be responsible for verifying a user’s age?
- Why shouldn’t app stores be treated like neutral marketplaces?
- Have Big Tech companies earned parents’ trust when it comes to child safety?
- Does this law restore parental rights or create unnecessary government regulation?
- Will Texas become the model for protecting children online nationwide?
- Why did the Supreme Court allow the law to take effect while litigation continues?
- What should Congress do if more states begin passing similar child-protection laws?
ABOUT CRAIG DEROCHE…
Craig DeRoche serves as President and CEO of Family Policy Alliance, the central hub of the pro-family movement, equipping citizens, churches, and elected officials to protect children, defend parents’ rights, and advance biblical values through civic engagement. Under Craig’s leadership, FPA and its network of 40 state family policy councils have helped lead major national campaigns including Save Girls Sports, Help Not Harm, After Roe, and Let Parents Parent.
Craig previously served as Speaker of the House in Michigan and president of Justice Fellowship, founded by Watergate figure, Chuck Colson. He is a frequent speaker and author on faith, culture, public policy, and civic engagement and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fox News, and Christianity Today. Craig is also a devoted husband and father and the author of Highly Functional and Outrageous Justice.
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