Colorado Bill to Protect Children from Social Media Harms Becomes Law
DENVER, June 7, 2024 — A bill that aims to make the internet healthier and safer for kids by mitigating the addictiveness and negative mental health impacts of social media platforms on kids and teens became law today. Common Sense Media strongly supported the legislation and testified in-person earlier this year in favor of the bill.
The novel legislation, HB24-1136, requires pop-up notifications, with information about the impact of social media on users' mental and physical health, to be sent to kids and teens who are on a social media platform for more than one hour each day, and then every 30 minutes thereafter. It also requires these pop-up notifications every 30 minutes if using a social media platform between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am. Additionally, the bill requires digital literacy programming and the creation of an educational resource bank available to all Coloradans to help them make informed decisions when navigating the potential harms of social media.
Danny Weiss, Chief Advocacy Officer of Common Sense Media, issued this statement in response to the bill's passage:
"Congratulations Colorado! This new law is one more step in the right direction of holding social media companies accountable for their lack of transparency, privacy practices, and design features that too often contribute to youth depression, anxiety, and addiction. We the legislature for ushering it through. HB24-1136 will help Colorado families and educators access the up-to-date guidance they need, when they need it, and with just one click. Expanding access to trusted resources, and using informational pop-up notifications, will help kids and families make safer, more informed decisions about the technology they use at home and in the classroom.
"Our nation is increasingly aware of the negative impacts social media can have on our kids and teens, and this legislation positions Colorado as a leader in encouraging healthier use of technology and social media with better safeguards for youth mental health. We also want to give a special shoutout to Healthier Colorado, a non-profit focussed on the well-being of the state's children and teens, for their leadership role in promoting this important new law. We appreciate being able to partner with them on behalf of Colorado kids and families."
For more information, please click here to view our fact sheet. Common Sense Media is the leading organization in the United States that provides a digital citizenship and literacy curriculum to more than 87,000 US schools. Our curriculum, first unveiled in 2014 and updated regularly since then, is used by more than 1.2 million teachers nationwide, including more than 11,000 in Colorado.
About Common Sense:
Common Sense is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive. Our ratings, research, and resources reach approximately 150 million users worldwide and 1.2 million educators per year. Learn more at www.commonsense.org.