Billings, Montana – Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte visited Skyview High School in Billings to discuss concerns about social media use among children and teenagers as state leaders consider possible new protections for minors.
The visit came on the first day of school for the Billings School District. Gianforte met with students, parents, educators and lawmakers during a roundtable before holding a press conference focused on screen use, social media and the well being of young people.
The governor pointed to increasing screen time among children and teenagers alongside concerns about anxiety and depression.
“Social media has changed the way we communicate and connect but for too many young people, it has also become addictive, disruptive, and harmful,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As technology continues to change, and use increases, we need policies that protect youth, respect the role of parents, and safeguard privacy.”
Student describes pressure and distractions from social media
During the roundtable, Gianforte heard directly from Skyview High School student Bridger Free about how social media has become part of everyday student life.
Free discussed several concerns, including distractions, pressure to compare themselves with other people and unrealistic expectations created by what young users see online. Body image, he said, is one issue that particularly affects people he knows.
“Through the use of social media, young people have unrealistic expectations of most things. With my friends, body image is a big one. I think people spend too much time on social media and compare themselves to others, which is not healthy,” Bridger said. “At the end of the day, the hours spent scrolling, really just robs us of living. We aren’t learning as well, and we aren’t connecting and I think that definitely something needs to change.”
Parents also shared concerns about trying to manage children’s access to online platforms while technology continues to change.
One Billings parent, who has five children ranging from 7 to 17 years old, described the task as difficult and said families may not always know what tools are available to protect children.
“The comparison to imaginary situations is not healthy. It feels daunting and scary as a parent. I don’t want the government to do my job as a parent, but I don’t know where to start – I’m not a tech person, and I don’t know how to protect my kids other than just banning it completely. We have laws in place for all addictive substances, and we know social media is addictive, so protections are necessary.”
Montana lawmakers consider possible safeguards
Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, discussed work being carried out by the Interim Energy and Technology Committee. He said lawmakers are considering bipartisan legislation aimed at features that are designed to repeatedly draw children back to social media platforms.
“The Interim Energy and Technology Committee is working on bipartisan legislation that states tech companies cannot utilize addictive processes that are in-place and designed to get a child on the phone by way of a notification, feed them content that is interesting, keep their eyes on it through infinite scrolling, just to them have them produce their own content for likes and engagement. This is all by design, and it is for tech companies to profit off children.”
Zolnikov said policymakers also face the challenge of protecting children without unnecessarily limiting technological development.
“So, how do we regulate this but still allow innovation? We’re at the point where innovation is equal to an addictive substance, not something that is bettering society. And when it comes to protecting children, that line has been crossed.”
The discussion comes as social media companies introduce additional features intended to give teenagers and their parents more control over platform use.
During the press conference, Gianforte referenced recent proposals from Meta involving additional safeguards and parental controls for users younger than 18.
Among the proposals highlighted by the governor is a cumulative two hour daily limit across Facebook and Instagram. Another feature described as “Nightmode” would restrict teenagers’ access to feeds, stories and reels between midnight and 6 a.m.
Other measures would give users the ability to turn off autoplay, along with additional controls intended to change how teenagers interact with the platforms.
Gianforte described those measures as positive first steps but indicated that state leaders intend to continue considering further action.
“Our kids deserve the opportunity to grow up, build relationships, learn, and experience childhood without an algorithm controlling their attention. They deserve our protection, and parents deserve our support. Working with our partners in the legislature in the upcoming session, I’m optimistic about the changes we can make to address some of these big issues.”
Education officials look toward additional resources
Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen also participated in the conversation and emphasized the role schools and educators can play in keeping students focused.
“My job as the superintendent at the Office of Public Instruction is to make sure that we have resources for our educator and our administrators in Montana. I look forward to working on legislation and seeing anyway that we can partner to keep our students safe and help them be focused and engaged in instruction during their day.”
The latest discussion follows an effort Gianforte launched in 2024 encouraging Montana school districts to establish cell phone free policies.
At the time, the governor sent a letter to Montana superintendents urging them to create school environments where students could give more attention to their teachers, classmates and education rather than their phones.
The governor’s office cited changes in screen habits between 2015 and 2021 to support that push. During that period, daily screen media use among teenagers increased by two hours, reaching eight hours and 39 minutes per day.
Children between the ages of 8 and 12 also experienced a significant increase. Their average daily screen media use rose by about one hour during the same period, reaching more than five and a half hours each day.
The Skyview High School discussion placed those concerns back in focus as students returned to classrooms. With lawmakers preparing for the upcoming legislative session, Gianforte indicated that protecting minors, supporting parents and preserving privacy will be central considerations as Montana evaluates what additional safeguards should apply to children’s use of social media.
