Rise Above Colorado

10/14/2026

08/28/2026

“Oh good, we’re going after 13-year-olds now?” one Meta employee wrote in a document cited in at least one suit. The employee added that “targeting 11-year-olds feels like to***co companies a couple decades ago (and today). Like, we’re seriously saying, ‘We have to hook them young’ here.”

Smoking used to be everywhere, the way Facebook, TikTok, Snap, YouTube and Instagram are now. Society decided to break the habit, but it took a long time.

08/26/2026

Our new Broomfield mural, start to finish!

08/26/2026

So proud of this project and partnership!

08/26/2026

New changes for youth using Facebook and Instagram include:

• The “Productive Pauses” for children include mandatory pauses after 15 minutes of continuous use and again at 60 and 90 minutes to interrupt endless scrolling
• “Nighttime blocks” restricting children’s access from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
• Limited school-time access for children, eliminating push notifications on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. during the school year
• Robust age assurance measures to more effectively verify the age of young users
• Safer, age-appropriate content controls, including stronger safeguards against bullying, content promoting eating disorders, and content related to su***de and self-harm
• Stronger, more user-friendly parental controls
• Limits on social comparison features, including beauty filters and visible “like” counts, that have been linked to poor mental health outcomes in kids and teens
• Both the implementation and effectiveness of the features will be regularly assessed by an independent auditor and the settling states

Meta Platforms will pay up to $18 billion over the next decade and strictly limit how teenagers use Facebook and Instagram under an agreement with nearly all U.S. states to resolve claims it designed those social media platforms to addict children.

08/21/2026

Do you have some paper and a pencil nearby?

How Drawing Calms the Brain:
•Interrupts worry: Focusing on lines, shapes, and hand movements stops the brain from overthinking.
•Engages the body: Repetitive motions signal safety and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers stress.
•Releases dopamine: Seeing a simple design or pattern develop activates the brain's reward system for a quick mood boost.

How to Do a 10-Minute Reset:
•Grab supplies: Get a piece of paper and a pen or pencil.
•Set a timer: Set it for 10 minutes so you don’t worry about the clock.
•Draw freely: Sketch simple lines, squiggles, geometric shapes, or continuous patterns without judging the result.

Experts break down the science behind why putting pencil to paper can have such a calming effect.

06/05/2026

"The documents emerged from lawsuits filed by more than 1,400 school districts against Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube amid a rising backlash against social media, with parent movements and best-selling books blaming the platforms for loneliness, bullying, eating disorders and sexual exploitation."

Internal documents show how tech giants grabbed children’s attention throughout the day, a strategy that schools say has undermined education.

05/28/2026

Proud to present our latest mural, created in partnership with Morey Middle School in central Denver!

This project was HUGE and we're so appreciative of all the volunteers, students, and staff who helped us complete it. And a special shout out to Robertson and the Morey Art Club for creating all the designs that fit into the mustangs along 13th Street!

05/20/2026

A new study shows how school-night phone use could be disrupting adolescents’ vital sleep.

"Nearly half of adolescents are using their phones between midnight and 4 a.m.,” the study's lead author said. “That’s a really critical window when kids should be asleep, especially on school nights.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/05/19/nearly-half-teens-are-losing-critical-sleep-phone-use-after-midnight/

Teens already are sleep-deprived, and now they are scrolling their phones in bed on school nights. Nearly half of the teens in a new study were on their phones between midnight and 4 a.m.