Is Colorado looking at a social media ban? No, but here's what a proposed bill would do
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Editor's note: The above video was created before the Florida social media ban passed but shares the perspective of a 13-year-old in the state.
Colorado has not yet instated a social media ban for minors like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this week, but a new bill aims to address the topic.
On Monday, DeSantis signed a bill banning children younger than 14 from creating and using social media accounts as of 2025.
More: Florida bans social media for children under 14 as of 2025. Here's what happens next
Similarly, but without implementing a ban, Colorado introduced a bipartisan bill — HB24-1136 — that would require the state Department of Education to create and maintain a resource bank of evidence and research-based scholarly articles and program materials pertaining to the mental and physical health impacts of social media use by minors.
The bill also requires social media platforms to display a pop-up warning notification to users younger than the age of 18 when the user has spent longer than one hour on the respective platform within a 24-hour period or is on a social media platform between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
What do studies say about social media use among youth?
A 2022 survey by the Pew Research Center highlighted some of the benefits social media provided for youth. The study showed that 58% of those surveyed felt social media helped teenagers feel greater acceptance, 67% felt social media provided a community of support through tough times, 71% felt that social media provided a creative outlet and 80% said they are more connected to what’s going on in their friends’ lives.
However, a study conducted by Yale Medicine over the last decade showed the potential negative impact of social media on adolescents. According to the study of American teens ages 12 to 15, those who used social media over three hours each day faced twice the risk of having negative mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety.
Democratic Sen. Lisa Cutter and Republican Sen. Jim Smallwood are both sponsoring Colorado's bill. Cutter stated that the bill would enact commonsense measures and educational efforts to help both parents and youth better understand the serious mental health effects of social media.“While social media can foster connections, experts are sounding the alarm about its addictive features — especially among youth,” Cutter said in a news release.
If passed, Colorado's bill would go into effect on Jan.1, 2026.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How Colorado's proposed social media bill differs from Florida ban
