Miles was my youngest child. We called him “Smiles” because he had a knack for making people around him smile. He was funny — a master prankster and mischief-maker, with an infectious spirit and full of love. He was constantly reminding his family, friends, coaches and teachers that life is meant to be enjoyed.
In the cruelest twist of fate, Miles’ life was cut tragically short at the age of 19. Our intelligent, witty and talented son died during his sophomore year at the University of Colorado in Boulder after taking fentanyl-laced pain pills purchased on social media.
Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. Losing your child to something that is entirely preventable makes the pain even more unbearable. There was zero accountability from Snapchat, which refused to cooperate with investigators. It is painful to share this story, but I do it to protect other families from the insidious practice of social media companies turning a blind eye to sales of deadly drugs to anyone, especially our children.
During the 2022 legislative session, I became involved with Blue Rising and their work to pass the Fentanyl Accountability and Prevention Act. As part of this law, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser issued a first-of-its-kind report in 2023 on the deadly nexus between the rising influence of social media and the availability of illicit drugs, including fentanyl. I was shocked to learn that getting pills, including fentanyl-laced substances, is as easy as ordering a pizza or calling an Uber.
Fentanyl is the number one killer nationally of people ages 18-45, according to a Washington Post analysis. And Colorado is now second in the United States for teen deaths due to fentanyl poisoning. In 2022, 920 people in Colorado died after taking counterfeit prescription pills that contained fentanyl. Of those, 120 were ages 15 to 24, according to data from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Despite countless reports and data illuminating the dangers of social media, the federal government has failed to act. That’s why we need immediate action on the state level.
Senate Bill 158, sponsored by Sens. Chris Hansen (D-Denver) and Dafna Michaelson Jenet (D-Reunion), and Rep. Meghan Lukens (D-Steamboat Springs) would require social media companies to make their platforms safer for children and teens. This legislation, which unanimously passed its first hurdle in the Senate, is critical because social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok make it dangerously easy for young people to access fentanyl and other illicit drugs.
We can’t leave it up to the social media companies to self-regulate. Why? Because they make billions of dollars each year in ad revenue from children under 18 years of age. That’s right — in 2022 social media platforms collectively generated $2.1 billion from users aged 12 and younger, and $8.6 billion from users ages 13-27, according to a Harvard University study published in December.
These platforms must be forced to stop preying on our children. Under Senate Bill 158, social media companies would have to verify the age of users. For those younger than 18 years old , companies must provide the opportunity to opt-out from dangerous features, along with other safeguards and warnings. The bill also authorizes the attorney general to enforce the requirements under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.
The bill, if it becomes law, would require social media companies to permanently remove users who violate their policies on illicit substances, firearm sales that violate state or federal law, and sexual exploitation and trafficking of children. And critically, the bill creates a timeline for social media companies to fulfill law enforcement agencies’ legal requests for information connected to criminal investigations. Social media companies would have to respond within three days to confirm receipt of the request and would have 30 days to reply to law enforcement.
I can’t bring Miles back, but I am determined to do everything I can to make sure more families don’t suffer the same loss. For the past two years, I’ve been working with Blue Rising to bring fentanyl awareness and education to college campuses across the state.
But we cannot do it alone. We need the law on our side to end the unfettered drug marketplace that social media companies have allowed to prosper. It’s time to pass Senate Bill 158 to end the predatory practices of social media and protect Colorado’s youth.
Chelsea Congdon Brundige lives on the Western Slope and works in environmental media and communication.
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