Poll shows Colorado voters support child cellphone and social media limits, concerned over AI and data centers

A statewide poll by the nonpartisan Colorado Polling Institute shows that the majority of Coloradans are concerned about the effects of social media on children's health, and many support restrictions for children under the age of 16.

The CPI is a nonprofit organization that gathers public opinion research on the most important issues facing Coloradans. Their statewide poll from March 20-25 includes responses from a bipartisan group of 613 likely Colorado voters for the 2026 election.

They said 71% of those voters, across party lines, backed a ban on social media platforms for children under 16, with 40% strongly in favor. Voters were also in favor of keeping phones out of classrooms, with 79% of respondents approving of cellphone bans in K-12 classrooms, CPI said.

"It's rare to see this level of agreement in politics today, but on kids and technology, Coloradans are on the same page," said Kevin Ingham from CPI. "Across demographic and political lines, Coloradans share deep concerns about social media's effect on kids and support policy interventions that limit phones in classrooms and social media use for younger children."

Citing concerns over student distraction and cyberbullying, last year state leaders passed a new law that requires Colorado public school districts to come up with policies on when kids can use cellphones in schools.

More than half of voters also expressed concerns about the impacts of data centers and the risks of the surge in AI use.

CPI has seen a 15-point jump in the number of Colorado voters who say they interact with AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini over the last four months. Younger voters report much higher use of AI tools. However, 69% of voters still said they're concerned about the risks associated with AI use.

The same holds true for the growth of data centers in the state. CPI said that 57% of Coloradans believe having more data centers would bring more downsides than benefits, with many citing concerns on water consumption and scarcity, high energy use, rising utility costs, and environmental harm.

In some areas of the state, county leaders say allowing the creation of data centers can help to diversify the tax revenue away from industries like agriculture, oil, and gas.