Keeping our kids safe is about more than “deputizing” Snapchat and Facebook to report them.

This year, the Colorado legislature tried to pass Senate Bill 86, marketed as a way to protect users of social media. Despite good intentions from lawmakers concerned about online safety, the bill would have created a dangerous precedent by forcing social media platforms to monitor and report users’ online activities, essentially turning private companies into extensions of law enforcement.

Fortunately, Gov. Jared Polis recognized the serious flaws in this approach and vetoed the legislation. By rejecting SB-86, he protected Coloradans’ privacy rights and prevented the creation of a government surveillance infrastructure that would have done more harm than good.

The governor recognized what many legislators missed: surveillance is not safety. When people know their every click, search and conversation is monitored by authorities, they don’t feel safer — they feel silenced. This chilling effect on free expression would have been particularly harmful to marginalized communities who already face disproportionate scrutiny from law enforcement.

ProgressNow Colorado has always believed protecting our communities requires expanding rights, not restricting them. Gov. Polis’ veto affirmed this principle and demonstrated Colorado can pursue online safety without sacrificing fundamental privacy protections.

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But rejecting bad policy is only the first step. Now it’s time for proactive leadership on digital rights. Next year’s legislative session presents an opportunity for Colorado to lead the nation with a smarter, more effective approach to protecting young people online: centralized age verification through app stores.

Unlike the platform-by-platform surveillance system SB-86 would have created, app store age verification offers a privacy-protective solution that actually works. Instead of forcing families to surrender sensitive personal information to dozens of different companies, this approach would centralize verification at a single point — the app store — where parents already manage their children’s device usage.

The benefits of this approach are clear. Parents would have a streamlined way to approve or deny their children’s access to social media apps without having to navigate different verification systems across multiple platforms. Young people would be placed in age-appropriate experiences across all apps they use, not just some. Most importantly, the approach would minimize data collection by requiring verification only once, rather than repeatedly across platforms.

Colorado has always been a leader in balancing innovation with protection of individual rights. The governor’s veto of SB-86 was consistent with this tradition, and app store legislation would continue it. We can show the nation protecting young people online doesn’t require choosing between safety and freedom — we can have both.

The 2026 legislative session is our chance to get this right. Instead of rushed, reactionary bills that create more problems than they solve, let’s take the time to craft thoughtful legislation that actually addresses parents’ concerns while respecting everyone’s rights.

Gov. Polis showed real leadership by vetoing SB-86. Now it’s time for the legislature to show the same leadership by embracing solutions that actually work. Our young people — and our democracy — deserve nothing less.

Sara Loflin is executive director of ProgressNow Colorado and former mayor pro Tem of Erie.