By Mary Kate Morr
Last week, it was reported that NetChoice – a trade association that includes Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snapchat, Reddit, and X – has sued the State of Colorado to stop the implementation of a law aimed at mitigating the negative impact of social media use on the well-being of Colorado youth.
Passed last year with bipartisan support, HB24-1136 is slated to take full effect on January 1, 2026. Beginning on that date, social media platforms would be required to display pop-up notifications that inform Colorado users under 18 about the potential harms to their mental and physical health from prolonged periods spent on social media. This message would appear after one hour of use each day, or if the user is on the platform between 10pm and 6am, and would reappear every 30 minutes.
In a poll commissioned by Healthier Colorado that was fielded in May and June of this year, 90% of Colorado voters said that social media had a “negative impact on the mental health of youth in Colorado.” The same overwhelming majority also agreed with the statement that “There is a growing mental health crisis facing children and youth in Colorado.” When provided with a description of HB24-1136, 69% of Colorado voters indicated that they supported this new law.
In response to the NetChoice lawsuit, Jake Williams, CEO of Healthier Colorado, issued the following statement:
“Our kids have been treated as guinea pigs in a profit-driven experiment by big tech. The results are in: social media use poses serious risks to youth mental health. These findings are confirmed by leaked documents from social media companies themselves, as well as the U.S. Surgeon General. The least we can do to protect our children is to let them know about these risks, which is what this law does. This common-sense approach empowers kids and families to make informed decisions, without imposing any restrictions on what content they consume. Social media companies are not entitled to unfettered access to our kids’ brains. We will fight back against these companies to support Colorado families.”
Rep. Rose Pugliese (R-Colorado Springs), a sponsor of HB24-1136 who also serves as Minority Leader for the House Republicans, stated: “As a parent, I know the challenge of raising children in the age of social media. What we as parents are seeing firsthand has also been confirmed by research: social media use is harmful for youth mental health and can lead to things like anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. Parents cannot tackle these challenges on our own, and that’s why this law is so important. This is a common-sense, family-focused law that provides young people and their parents with the knowledge and support they need to make informed decisions about safe social media usage.”
Sen. Judy Amabile (D-Boulder), another sponsor of the law, added: “The longer teens spend doom scrolling on social media, the higher their chances of experiencing anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. Coloradans recognize that social media presents a growing public health problem for our youth, and they want their leaders to take action. Similar to the warnings we already place on many other consumer products, it’s time we help teens make informed choices by providing them with the evidence-based information as well as the support and guidance they deserve to use social media safely.”
Healthier Colorado is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the voices of Coloradans in the public policy process to improve the health of our state’s residents. We believe that every Coloradan should have a fair chance at living a healthy life.
Mary Kate Morr is Director of Communications for Healthier Colorado.