LOS ANGELES—Users of the social network Bluesky who log in from Texas IP addresses are reporting being subject to age-gating, amid a state law that targets mobile app stores with liability if minors view explicit content on apps like social networks.
According to users, they are being met with an action screen prompting them to verify their age and identity by requesting the last four numbers of a user's social security number, a credit card confirmation through Stripe, or an ID scan using AV provider Veriff.
The Bluesky Safety account posted to the platform on Tuesday that it is "preparing to comply" with the Texas law after a federal appeals court lifted an injunction placed on the law by a lower court that was concerned for potential First Amendment violations.
Senate Bill (SB) 2420 is the Texas law in question. Two weeks ago, AVN detailed the purported "deja vu" felt by plaintiffs in the lawsuit against Texas seeking to block the law, who are once more fighting age verification at the conservative-controlled U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS).
As noted, a pair of special interest groups filed petitions for potential certiorari to the high court in a bid to temporarily prevent the enforcement of the Texas law that requires age verification at the app store level. The special interest groups are Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) and a technology industry trade group called the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA).
This was done to allow litigation at the federal district court to proceed. Nevertheless, Bluesky's management has shifted toward compliance. In the June 30 post, Bluesky Safety links to a statement issued by the CCIA noting that the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay on enforcing SB 2420 at the end of May 2026.
The petition to the high court was filed in mid-June. However, the issue might not be resolved in the near future, as the current term for SCOTUS has ended. The court won't reconvene until the fall.
This is a noteworthy development because Bluesky has been adopted by multiple adult entertainment industry professionals and performers as an alternative to larger sites like X and Instagram.
