REGARDING TEXAS BILL S.B. 2420 (APP STORE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT)
Sorry for becoming political, but I want to pause your scrolling and bring this harmful law up. S.B. 2420, or the App Store Accountability Act, mandates age verification for all apps downloaded. A preliminary injunction (saying to not enforce this law during litigation) went into effect December 2025, before the law was put into effect. Recently (around June 1st, 2026), the injunction was stayed (meaning that the law can proceed).
What does it do?
For minors, a parent will have to approve all app downloads. And, it is not even one time approval, but a re-approval every single "significant update." The only exceptions are emergency apps and testing apps. This, in my interpretation, is forced ID verification to use your phone, as apps are literally how your phone works. Google Play Services, a system app needed for some apps to work, is not exempt.
Emergency services apps and nonprofit testing apps are not impacted, as they are exemptions.
Risks
The risks are numerous.
1. ID Leakage
Hackers could find that the amount of IDs and/or facial data stored by Google and Apple is attractive; this puts a giant metaphorical target on the services processing such information.
2. Potential for abuse
Parents can be abusive sometimes. They might abuse this system of approval/denial, denying stuff the child might actually need to get help and get educated.
3. School apps get harmed
School apps are still apps, meaning that they will be caught in the crossfire. This means that any app needed for school might have the risk of being blocked. Now, parents could simply just approve said apps, but the next point shows that sometimes, that isn't possible:
4. Risk of lockout
As the Computer & Communications Industry Associations (CCIA) states:
"Even worse, minors who do not have a parent or legal guardian able to provide consent under the Act will be entirely shut out of mobile app stores and the thousands of speech-enabling apps and the speech and information apps provide" (Austin Civil Case 1:25-cv-1660).
In my interpretation, this idea violates the first amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The "Freedom Of Speech" is the right likely being infringed here. This will harm both minors and parents. Texas needs to help fight this law.
Where is it currently?
Currently, it is in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Attorney General Ken Paxton is fighting for this law while the CCIA (Computer & Communications Industry Associations) is fighting against.
What can Texans do?
Texans can do multiple things.
Peacefully protest against the act (do research to ensure your protest is peaceful and legal)
Write to legislators, asking them to repeal the act.
Let others know about the situation
What if I am not a Texan?
Do your research. You can see if any laws like this one are currently in your legislature and contact your representatives telling them not to. Additionally, see if anything national is in the works and write to your representatives to not vote for them.
You can contact your representatives here:
Use USAGov’s Contact Your Elected Officials tool to get contact information for your members of Congress, the president, and state and local
I sincerely hope this law gets repealed in some form and this form of age verification as a whole stops.
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footnote: due to such restrictions, I will be much less active on my socials.
The thing coming out today is me. Hi. I'm hydez and I'm on the aromantic spectrum. All I know is that I am ON the spectrum. don't know where exactly though. I've narrowed it down to possibly aromantic, grayromantic, or cupioromantic. Likely the latter two; I'm still figuring things out.
... i dont know what to put here now that I came out. lol. oh right.
Happy Aromantic Visibility Day once again 💚🤍🩶🖤 (there was no darker green heart as far as I could tell)
I’ve seen some strong reactions to the recent episode here and there and I want to address that rq
I understand that people can form deep emotional connections to characters, and it can genuinely hurt to see them go. I can't feasibly tell you not to get attached to or root for anybody, because that's not how this works.
At the same time, Objectified is a story that includes a lot of permanent character death. We have it in the big content warning list for a reason, and it is your responsibility as the reader to take care of yourself and decide whether or not that is something you can handle. These themes are something I’ve always intended to explore, and it will continue going forward. I will say outright that these deaths will get more gruesome.
If the story is affecting you to the point where it’s impacting your health or well-being, I really encourage you to take a step back or consider dropping the series as a whole. No piece of media is worth that level of distress, and it’s important to prioritize yourself.
I feel for you but I can’t tailor the story around individual emotional limits. The best thing you can do is heed the warnings and let that determine whether or not you engage with my work at all.
To be blunt, the fundamental genre is tragedy. Tragedy is not for everyone. I'd rather you feel alright at the end of the day, haunted and entertained at most.