Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte brought together students, parents, educators, and state lawmakers in Billings Wednesday to focus attention on the effects of social media and smartphone use on young people, as kulr8.com reported. The gathering signaled a broader push by the governor to develop state-level tools addressing youth online activity, while leaving day-to-day phone policies to individual school districts.
What Prompted the Meeting
Gianforte has previously encouraged school districts to consider restricting cell phone access during the school day, and at least one Billings campus has already seen results. Skyview High School reported measurably higher student engagement after reducing phone-related distractions in classrooms.
Skyview senior Bridger Free described the difference firsthand. “With the absence of like the just the constant notifications, the videos, we are much more present in a classroom or even just with each other,” Free told kulr8.com.
The governor emphasized that social media’s impact on students goes beyond classroom behavior. “Social media can be addictive,” Gianforte said. “It sucks people in, causes them to scroll. They lose sleep at night. They show up not well-rested. They’re not ready to learn when they get to school.”
State Superintendent Raises Alarm
Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen added institutional weight to those concerns, citing data showing that 78 percent of Montana students report being on social media continuously throughout the day. Hedalen also pointed to online threats and bullying as serious ongoing problems affecting students across the state.
The figures underscore why state officials believe school-level phone policies, while helpful, may not be sufficient on their own to address the scope of the problem.
Legislation Taking Shape
State Sen. Daniel Zolnikov of Billings told attendees that lawmakers have been developing a legislative proposal aimed at giving parents stronger tools to protect their children online. Zolnikov said the proposal has attracted bipartisan support and was nearly complete, with final details expected to wrap up the following week.
Gianforte drew a clear line between local and state responsibilities: school districts should retain authority over how phones are handled during the school day, while the state focuses on the broader consequences of social media exposure on youth well-being and academic readiness.
The effort reflects a pattern of Gianforte’s executive approach — using convenings and task forces to build momentum for policy action before formal legislative vehicles are finalized. Earlier this year, a Gianforte task force delivered a 37-point blueprint to streamline Montana’s licensing system, following a similar model of stakeholder input driving a structured policy recommendation.
Broader Political Context
Youth online safety has emerged as one of the rare policy areas drawing lawmakers from both parties, and Montana appears positioned to move legislation in that space. With the next regular legislative session not convening until January 2027, any formal bill would likely be developed through interim committee work or introduced as part of the 2027 session agenda.
For Gianforte, the Billings gathering keeps the issue visible during an election year while building a coalition that includes educators, parents, and lawmakers from across the political spectrum. The governor’s emphasis on parental tools rather than top-down mandates aligns with the broader Republican framing of the issue nationally — empowering families rather than imposing uniform state rules on school operations.
How the Zolnikov proposal takes final shape, and whether it advances through the interim process before the 2027 session, will determine how quickly Montana parents see any new protections put into place.
