Protect Our Children from Digital Exploitation in Schools! 

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The Problem: Kids Are Being Targeted with Harmful Ads in Schools

Did you know that schools across Colorado are using educational research databases that target children with advertisements for:
❌ Online gambling
❌ Vaping and tobacco
❌ Marijuana and alcohol
❌ Guns and weapons
❌ Adult content, including pornography and sex chat apps

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This is happening inside classrooms, through school-issued devices, and on platforms trusted by parents and teachers. These ads are hidden within educational tools and blend in with learning materials, making it difficult for children to recognize when they are being manipulated.

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Our kids go online to learn. Instead, they’re being exposed to dangerous content that can impact their health, safety, and future.

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How Is This Happening?

🔹 Big tech vendors embed ads in school research databases – and there’s no law stopping them.
🔹 Some vendors, like EBSCO, have even been named to the Dirty Dozen List by the National Center on Sexual Exploitation for their role in exposing minors to harmful content.
🔹 Colorado’s Student Data Privacy Act has loopholes that allow contextual advertising—meaning that children doing schoolwork can be exposed to ads for addictive substances, gambling, or adult content.
🔹 Taxpayers are funding these platforms, while vendors profit from targeting children.

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The Solution: HB25-1158 – The Digital Education Materials Bill

This bill will stop vendors from using school resources to target kids with harmful content. HB25-1158 will:
✅ Hold vendors accountable for hidden ads in school-approved digital tools.
✅ Ensure children are protected from predatory marketing tactics.
✅ Protect teachers and schools from legal liability when dangerous content reaches students.
✅ Stop taxpayer dollars from funding digital platforms that exploit kids.

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Why This Bill Matters

📌 A recent report from Common Sense Media found that nearly 1 in 4 teens have viewed pornography at school, often on school-issued devices.
📌 93% of boys and 62% of girls are exposed to internet pornography before the age of 18.
📌 Ads promoting drugs, alcohol, and gambling normalize risky behavior for kids, leading to addiction and serious consequences.
📌 Schools should be safe spaces for learning, not places where children are targeted by corporate greed.

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How You Can Help

📢 Make Your Voice Heard!
🗓 Public Comment on HB25-1158: Thursday, February 20th at 1:30 PM in the Education Committee
✔️ Testify in Person at the State Capitol
✔️ Testify Virtually

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Sponsor: Bradley  

Date & Time: 2/20/2025 at 1:30PM