From delay to data to doing better

What has helped most in this has been leaders who refused to look away. Most notably two from Colorado: U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. Both are deeply committed to improving the health and functioning of children and families — and both have already altered the course of this issue in tangible ways.

Sen. Bennet saw the impacts early, long before it was politically popular to say out loud, and he refused to let them be ignored. In 2021, he reintroduced the Children and Media Research Advancement Act (CAMRA) and laid the groundwork for bipartisan support. By 2022, CAMRA had passed with backing from both parties — including Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Ted Budd — securing $15 million in annual federal funding for the National Institutes of Health to study how technology affects children’s mental, social, and physical health. That persistence turned a quiet worry into a national priority, making it possible for red and blue to come together around something far more important than politics: our kids.

Because of this leadership — and the persistence it took to make CAMRA a reality — we finally have what we so badly needed: real, can’t-ignore-it data. Data that fueled Jonathan Haidt’s “The Anxious Generation,” inspired campaigns like Wait Until 8th and Smartphone-Free Childhood, and shaped public health advisories and school policies nationwide. Without it, we’d still be wandering blind, arguing opinions while kids kept getting hurt.

This data inspired our Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser to use research to push bold, practical action. He has funded school-based smartphone management strategies, supported statewide training and grants on youth mental health and tech impacts, and is leading a bipartisan lawsuit against Meta for designing addictive features that harm young people. Just last week, he convened leaders from across Colorado — youth, educators, mental health professionals, funders, and policy advocates — not just to acknowledge their work, but to connect, coordinate, and strengthen it.

Here in Mesa County, we’re putting their efforts to work. With District 51’s nationally recognized cellphone policy, the Heads Up Parenting campaign, a growing workplace initiative, and the Daily Sentinel’s persistent coverage, we are rare among communities because we are not still asking, “Is tech harmful?” Because we already know it is..

The harm isn’t just emotional or academic. Children are being exposed to sexual and physical violence through screens, sometimes live, often alone. The bruises aren’t visible, but they’re real: shortened attention spans, lost sleep, quiet anxiety, and kids who feel more isolated than ever.

And perhaps just as concerning as what kids are seeing is who is shaping them now. Today parents, teachers, and community voices have been replaced by strangers, influencers, and algorithms — people and systems that don’t love them, don’t know them, and often profit from keeping them anxious or addicted. What does it mean for a generation to be more deeply shaped by people they will never meet than by the ones who tuck them in at night?

We owe a lot to leaders who made this progress possible. Sen. Bennet gave us the data. Attorney General Weiser is turning that data into action. And they are not alone. Right here, leaders are stepping up — Dr. Brian Hill in District 51 and School Board President Andrea Haitz who supported and collaborated on the cellphone policy, Anne Wenzel at the Western Colorado Community Foundation bringing funders into this work through their Heads Up Parenting campaign, and Will Hays at Hilltop Community Resources focusing on staff wellness and tech use balance.

This is what change looks like — leaders at every level, pulling in the same direction, and communities choosing to act. Every parent who sets a boundary, every teacher who gives kids more face-to-face time, every workplace that supports tech balance adds to that momentum. This isn’t just about reducing harm; it’s about building something better for our kids and for all of us. And that’s how we finally answer the only question that matters now: “What are we going to do about it?”

Elizabeth Clark, LPC, is a mental health therapist for children and their families who has been studying the impacts of technology on children’s development and on families. She has a grant from WCCF that allows her to talk with families about powerful technology use.