A recent poll conducted by the Texas Public Policy Foundation shows significant support among Texas parents and voters for proposed legislation that would require app stores to obtain parental approval before children can download applications. The study reveals that 75% of all Texas voters are in favor of such requirements, with support rising to 79% among parents specifically.

The poll results also indicate that 88% of Texas Republican voters are in support of these measures. Furthermore, 71% of Texas parents consider the provision of a single approval process at the app store to be more convenient than approving each app individually. Additionally, 61% of parents would be more inclined to vote for legislators supporting these initiatives.

David Dunmoyer, Director of the Better Tech for Tomorrow Campaign at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, commented on these findings. "Big Tech has adopted a business strategy of addicting children to their products and services while simultaneously pulling all the stops to prevent parents from having transparency or control over what their children are accessing,” he stated. He emphasized that parents have grown tired of being deprived of their parental role in the digital age and recognize the necessity for commonsense solutions to shield their children from predators and harmful content.

The release of this poll coincides with the Texas Legislature's consideration of the App Store Accountability Act through Senate Bill 2420 and House Bill 4901, introduced by Senator Angela Paxton and Representative Caroline Fairly. This legislation aims to mandate app stores to implement systems for parental approval and age verification, a measure similar to those recently enacted in states like Utah.

Greyson Gee, Policy Analyst at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, echoed the findings, stating, "These poll results confirm what our research has indicated – parents seek meaningful tools to protect their children in the digital world." According to Gee, parents should not be required to be cybersecurity experts to ensure their children's online safety. He concluded that the App Store Accountability Act offers parents the much-needed robust age verification and explicit parental consent for every app download and transaction.

To learn more about the App Store Accountability Act, interested readers can visit the Texas Public Policy Foundation's website.