Colorado schools will be required to adopt policies on students’ cell phone use after governor signs bill 

Colorado school districts and certain charter schools will need to adopt policies by July 2026 regulating how students use their cell phones under a bill signed into law Thursday by Gov. Jared Polis. 

House Bill 1135 passed the legislature with broad bipartisan support. It was sponsored by Reps. Meghan Lukens, D-Steamboat Springs, and Mary Bradfield, R-Colorado Springs, as well as Sens. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock. 

The measure requires districts to, at a minimum, outline the restrictions and exceptions for students’ phone use during the school day. Districts must ensure their policies don’t interfere with a student’s disabilities or medical needs. 

Colorado now joins 19 other states that have adopted some form of school cell phone policy. 

Lawmakers say the legislation comes in response to rising concerns over the impacts phones in schools are having on students’ mental health and academic performance. 

Lukens, also a high school civics teacher in Steamboat, said she has witnessed “firsthand the impact that cell phones have in our classrooms. 

“Minimizing their use can lead to higher test scores and have an overall positive effect on children’s mental health and wellbeing,” Lukens continued. “This law will create a stronger and healthier learning environment for students while making the classroom a more productive place by reducing distractions.” 

As much as 95% of youth between the ages of 13-17 use a social media platform, with more than one-third saying they use social media “almost constantly,” according to a 2023 report from the U.S. Surgeon General’s office. 

The report goes on to say that young people who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, including

symptoms of depression and anxiety. Survey data shows that eighth and 10th graders reported spending 3.5 hours on social media per day, while 1 in 7 spend more than seven hours.

Colorado is also currently leading a 33-state lawsuit against Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta, alleging the social media giant knowingly designed and deployed practices to get children and teens addicted to its platforms. 

Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, who is spearheading the lawsuit, spoke in support of HB 1135 during a press conference in January, saying, “The widespread adoption of smartphones are one of the many causes of why young people are suffering, why bullying is on the rise, why self harm is on the rise.”

Two-thirds of the state’s largest school districts do not currently have a phone policy in place, according to Lukens, though several Western Slope districts have implemented phone rules to varying degrees, including in Summit, Eagle, Pitkin and Routt.

In some districts where phone bans have been adopted, students have pushed back. 

High schoolers in Aspen, for example, said it takes away autonomy and complicates their ability to communicate with parents, coaches, and student groups, and check their class schedules. 

In Summit County, students and parents last fall raised concerns with the school board over a phone-free pilot program at Summit High School. The pushback came in the aftermath of a Sept. 4 shooting at a high school in Georgia, with Summit community members saying it was vital to have the ability to reach each other during emergencies. 

Lukens said it was important that HB 1135 respect local decision-making, leaving it to districts to craft policies that work best for their communities.