Join the effort: Sign letter to Attorney General requesting Meta Settlement funds be invested in out-of-school time programs!
Signature deadline: Sept. 17
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday recently announced a historic multistate settlement with Meta aimed at strengthening protections for children and teens using social media. The agreement addresses concerns about the impact of social media platforms on young people and requires significant changes to how Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms serve younger users.
Pennsylvania is expected to receive $516 million over a period of years, with the potential for that amount to increase to as much as $729 million. Nationally, the settlement could involve up to $17.1 billion in remediation payments. The settlement remains subject to court approval.
Please join PSAYDN to encourage Attorney General Sunday to invest these funds in out-of-school time programs.
Please review and sign the letter below by Sept. 17. It will be sent to the Attorney General’s office at noon on Sept. 18. Thank you for your continued support of quality afterschool and out-of-school time programming in Pennsylvania!
Dear Attorney General David W. Sunday:
As a community of youth-serving organizations, out-of-school-time providers, and advocates, we thank your office for its continued efforts to hold social media companies accountable for practices that have harmed Pennsylvania’s children and youth. The recent Meta settlement presents a significant opportunity to invest in real-life programs that foster social connection, strengthen relationships, reduce excessive screen time, and promote youth mental health and well-being.
We are encouraged that the settlement recognizes youth programs, afterschool and summer learning opportunities, and mental health programs and services as potential uses of the funds. We respectfully urge your office to dedicate a meaningful portion of Pennsylvania’s settlement proceeds to positive youth development programs serving young people across the Commonwealth.
Strategic investments in afterschool and out-of-school-time programs, school- and community-based mental health services, and other youth development initiatives would provide young people with safe, healthy, and engaging alternatives to excessive social media use. These programs, many of which face high demand but remain significantly under-resourced, promote social and emotional development, provide access to trusted adult mentors, strengthen peer and community connections, and support young people’s overall well-being.
Although regulatory reforms are necessary to protect young people online, regulation alone cannot repair the harm caused by unhealthy digital environments. Children and youth also need accessible, high-quality, non-digital alternatives that allow them to connect, learn, create, and thrive.
For this reason, we agree with the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2026 policy statement on digital ecosystems and youth, which emphasizes the importance of “crowding in” healthy activities through extracurricular opportunities and safe, prosocial third spaces. Young people are less likely to disengage from their screens when healthy alternatives are unavailable, unaffordable, or underfunded.
We also encourage the use of a practical framework to guide the effective, transparent, and equitable distribution of Pennsylvania’s settlement funds. Such a framework should include clear allocation guidelines, public accountability measures, equitable access for communities across the Commonwealth, and community-informed funding processes. Pennsylvania’s statewide and regional youth-serving networks, including the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) and its partners, are well positioned to convene providers, families, young people, mental health professionals, and other stakeholders to help inform this process.
Nevada’s settlement with Roblox offers a strong example of intentional investment in youth well-being. Under its consent judgment, Nevada directed settlement funds toward efforts to prevent and reduce harmful or developmentally inappropriate uses of digital technologies by young people. Eligible uses include programs and services designed to reduce youth screen time and encourage participation in recreational, educational, social, and community-based activities. This model demonstrates how settlement funds can both address past harm and proactively build healthier environments for children and youth.
Where young people spend their time shapes who they become. Pennsylvania now has a critical opportunity not only to hold harmful systems accountable, but also to make lasting investments in the health, development, and future of the Commonwealth’s young people.
Thank you for your leadership in protecting Pennsylvania’s children and youth from the harmful effects of social media. We recognize that additional litigation involving companies such as TikTok, Snap, and YouTube may follow. We stand ready to partner with your office to help ensure that current and future settlement resources are invested transparently, equitably, and responsively to the needs of young people and communities throughout Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
The Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network (PSAYDN)