Parents and legislators keep hearing the same reassurance: age verification technology can confirm someone is over 18 without ever revealing who they are. Age, not identity. That's the pitch behind nearly every state and federal age-verification proposal moving through statehouses right now.

When the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued its stay order on June 4, proponents of the App Store Accountability Act called it a major victory. This was an early victory lap for a case where the constitutional questions are far from resolved. The stay was a preliminary signal, not a final ruling. The fight was far from over. Ten days later, that assessment was confirmed.