Imagine searching online for answers about birth control, abortion care, or your legal rights as an immigrant — and being forced to submit a face scan, government ID, or home address just to access the information you need. That’s the chilling reality Coloradans could soon face under House Bill 25-1287.

At the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), we know what’s at stake. Our communities — including Latine youth, immigrants and families of color — rely on digital platforms not just for connection, but also for critical information. These are spaces where people seek out information to make informed decisions about their bodies and their futures. We must protect that access — not put it behind a wall of surveillance.

Despite its well-intentioned title, House Bill 25-1287, “Social Media Tools for Minor Users & Parents” would do just that. By requiring platform-by-platform age verification with an unrealistic 95% accuracy rate, the bill opens the door to invasive data collection and an increased risk of data breaches. It undermines the safety, privacy, and autonomy of all Coloradans.

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For many, especially young people, social media is more than entertainment —  it’s a source of community, education and support. Social media can serve as a source of information on contraception, abortion care and sexual health — especially when those conversations are stigmatized at home.

HB25-1287 threatens to cut off those lifelines. The bill would require every individual to verify their age on every platform they use, with no clear standards for how that data is collected, stored, or protected. Users may be asked to submit biometric scans, browsing history, full names, or government-issued IDs — multiple times, across multiple sites. That level of data sharing increases risks of phishing, blackmail and identity theft, particularly for users with limited digital literacy. For undocumented individuals and mixed-status families, the risks of surveillance and exposure are especially dangerous.

At its core, this bill trades privacy for a false sense of safety. HB25-1287 offers a surveillance-based response to a complex challenge and does not solve the problem of online safety for youth. Instead, HB25-1287 raises serious privacy concerns for Coloradans of all ages and diverts state resources away from holistic, community-centered solutions like comprehensive sex education, digital literacy programs and culturally responsive mental health care.

Proponents argue HB25-1287 will give youth tools to manage their social media use and limit exposure to harmful, addictive content. We agree social media can be harmful. These platforms are intentionally designed to hook users and exploit their attention — especially young people’s. But addiction isn’t a matter of toggling between settings or tools. It rewires your brain. Addressing it takes more than app restrictions or opt-out buttons —  it requires systemic change and community-driven solutions, not surveillance-based shortcuts that put communities at greater risk.

Reproductive Justice is more than the right to have or not have children. It also involves the right to raise our families in safe and healthy environments. At COLOR, we understand protecting young people means protecting their autonomy and their right to access care and information — online and offline. This bill puts all of that at risk and we urge Colorado lawmakers to reject HB25-1287.

Mariah Guerrero is policy manager at the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), whose mission is to enable Latine individuals and their families to lead safe, healthy, and self-determined lives.