At this time when kids are more disconnected from each other, their parents, their teachers, and their communities than ever before, it is critical that we lean into connection and solutions that address our youth mental health crisis. The disconnection our youth are experiencing has long-term consequences for their well-being and success and must be addressed. Unfortunately, youth mental health support is under severe threat by the Trump Administration, with programs dedicated to young people’s well-being being cut at an alarming rate. As attorney general, I faced this challenge head on and as governor, I will tackle this crisis at its root—-focusing on connection, direction, and access to support young people all across our state.

Investing Resources Towards Youth Mental Health

With the federal government slashing funding across the country, Colorado’s youth-focused programs need even more support. As attorney general, my office partnered with Rocky Mountain Health Plans to launch the Healthy Youth/Strong Colorado Fund, providing $5 million to youth empowerment and mental health programs across the state to support youth during the pandemic. And in 2023, my office recovered nearly $32 million dollars from JUUL, an e-cigarette company that marketed their products directly to kids, hooking another generation on nicotine. These funds went to support vaping education and prevention programs as well as programs and grants supporting youth mental health in 49 out of Colorado’s 64 counties in Colorado—including another $5 million in grants distributed just this summer. Most recently, I went to court to protect federal grant funding for mental health professionals in Colorado schools and secured this funding. As governor, I will be strongly committed to continuing this work to support our kids’ mental health.

Statewide Mentorship Opportunities

Right now, less than 40% of Colorado teens are highly confident that they have an adult other than a parent—like a teacher or relative—that they can go to with a serious issue—and the trend is going in the wrong direction. A void of mentorship means we miss significant opportunities to build positive mindsets, and foster a sense of belonging. We need to do better—much better. And we will.

On day one of my administration, I will galvanize the state in a mentorship campaign that improves connections for Colorado kids. We will elevate promising strategies and provide tools to support new initiatives across the state. We will look to successful programs to emulate across the state. We can scale this work in multiple contexts: school settings, work-based learning and career pathways, and community-based programs.

I believe that Colorado can energize a new culture of connection and ensure that every Colorado kid can identify more than one adult mentor they can look to for guidance. Not only that, I believe we will dramatically improve a sense of belonging for students in their schools and broader communities. This will have a lasting impact for individuals, families, and the state.

Mentors are essential to creating a support system and building connections to adolescents along their individual paths. As an educator and as attorney general, I have seen this work firsthand and have witnessed a change in young people who are part of the undergraduate and high school internship program I started at the Attorney General’s Office, and in the ~80 summer fellows from all over Colorado who joined our campaign.  

Mentors are critical to providing valuable guidance and support. And they are much more than that. They are people who are present and take time to listen and connect to provide needed emotional support and guidance. I am committed to ensuring that every Colorado student has that connection and sense of support.

The Challenge of Cell Phones and Social Media

Kids spend nearly six hours on their phones a day, consuming content that is manufactured to isolate and keep them addicted to using these platforms. Study after study shows the damaging effects this has on kids. And it’s unacceptable. That is why as attorney general I sued Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, for targeting kids and knowingly contributing to harming their mental health. And that’s why I supported S.B. 25-086, state legislation to clamp down on big social media companies for failing to protect kids from illegal activities such as drug dealing, illegal sale of firearms, sex trafficking, and sexual exploitation. And that’s why, as governor, I’ll sign that bill into law.

We must also find ways to encourage kids to put down their cell phones. As attorney general, I worked with schools to limit the use of cell phones in the classroom, providing grants and shaping policy that many districts have adopted. And I spearheaded a bipartisan law to require every school district to have a policy that prevents smartphones from interfering with learning. As governor, I will work with school districts to meet this challenge.

The average American kid today spends between 4-7 minutes outside in unstructured play. That is substantially less time per day outside than maximum security inmates. Yet researchers recommend kids get as much as 2-3 hours of unstructured time outside a day, as studies show that kids who spend time in nature are less stressed, less aggressive, and have better immune systems. 

Colorado has special advantages it can use to encourage kids to put down their phones and get outside in nature. And with so much nature to offer, we must make full use of these advantages.

As governor, I am committed to changing this. I will push for legislation to provide new opportunities for K-12 schools and school districts to partner with the outdoor recreation industry. This effort will provide greater outdoor educational opportunities for K-12 students, allowing them to connect with nature, disconnect from their phones, and learn about all the state has to offer through its public lands—as well as exposing kids to future career paths in the outdoor industries available across our state. Every kid in Colorado should have the chance to experience Colorado’s public lands and open spaces.Making Support Services Accessible

Sometimes kids need professional support from trained mental health professionals, and we must ensure they have the access they need for these services. As governor, I will focus on expanding school-based mental health professionals and working with school districts to ensure they have the capacity to provide school-based mental health screenings. Because our kids need access to counselors, we should consider different potential strategies–including how licensing requirements operate in practice across the state–to enable more professionals to serve in such roles. 

Not every community may have the mental health support services needed for each child. Virtual and telemedicine based mental health services that do not require kids to drive (or be driven) long distances to see a professional can help address this gap. As governor, I will champion legislation to make coverage available for virtual mental health services for kids. And I will push to allow for Medicaid billing of school-based mental health services for all Medicaid-enrolled students across the state.

Ensuring our Kids Have the Tools They Need

Kids should be comfortable saying when they aren’t okay. They must be helped to advocate for themselves to make sure they get the support they need and have the safety they deserve. As attorney general, I championed and improved the Safe2Tell program, an anonymous statewide reporting platform that provides a safe space for students to proactively report safety concerns about themselves, their friends, and their schools. And as governor, I will work with educators to continue to improve our curriculum that helps kids develop relationship and resilience skills. Those skills include how to manage discomfort and distress; how to cultivate healthy coping mechanisms; how to handle conflict resolution; and develop tools and training for appropriately alerting adults and friends to serious concerns.

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To help our kids through this mental health crisis, we must act boldly and elevate this priority. As governor, I’ll tirelessly work  to provide our kids the confidence, skills, and relationships they need to build their futures.