Statement on the Meta Settlement and Investing in Illinois Youth
Yesterday marked a landmark victory for protecting the wellbeing of youth, and created a possible source of revenue for afterschool programs in Illinois that are in dire need. Illinois joined a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta Platforms Inc., one of the largest state consumer protection settlements in history. Under the agreement, which remains subject to court approval, Illinois could receive nearly $768 million to address harms caused by Meta’s social media platforms and support efforts to protect young people. The settlement also requires Meta to implement significant safety measures designed to better protect children and teens on Instagram and Facebook.
Young people deserve to grow up healthy, connected, and supported. While stronger protections online are critical, they are only a piece of the solution. We also need to make sure young people have meaningful opportunities to connect, build skills, develop relationships, and simply be kids in the real world.
That is why ACT Now is calling on Illinois leaders to invest these settlement dollars directly in young people and the programs that support their well-being. ACT Now is the Fund IRL Statewide Coalition leader for Illinois, a national coalition working to ensure that funding from social media settlements is used to fund programs and services that promote youth well-being and healthy development.
“The settlement agreement explicitly names mental-health/crisis intervention, afterschool and summer programming, and digital well-being as eligible uses of state funds to remediate youth harms. This was not guaranteed, and it is a win that the broad coalition has been pushing for. However, the work is not done… Fund IRL urges leaders to… dedicate all of the resources to the real-life experiences and supports that strengthen youth well-being, including afterschool and summer programs, sports, arts, mentoring, outdoor activities, mental health supports and community-based youth development. Platform safeguards are essential, but protecting young people online is only half of the equation. We must also dramatically expand what is available to youth offline. The settlement should be viewed as a starting point, not an endpoint. The financial recovery is not sufficient to mitigate the scale of the harm social media has caused… Fund IRL and its coalition partners will continue to work to ensure that every available dollar intended to repair harm to young people is tracked, and that state leaders hear directly from young people and the organizations serving them as decisions about those resources are made,” stated Fund IRL.
“Nearly $768 million represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the young people of Illinois, and we cannot afford to let that opportunity pass us by,” said Susan Stanton, Executive Director of ACT Now Illinois. “If these dollars are intended to address the harms young people have experienced, they must go directly toward the supports and opportunities that help young people heal, connect, and thrive. That means making high-quality out-of-school time programs, summer learning, sports, arts, outdoor activities, mentoring, and youth mental health services available to every young person in every community.”
Out-of-school time programs are already doing essential work in communities across Illinois. They provide structure and connection after the school day ends. They give young people opportunities to participate in sports, arts, STEM, leadership, and other activities that help them discover what they are capable of. They create spaces where young people can build friendships, find mentors, develop confidence, and feel like they belong.
But the need is significant. For every one child currently enrolled in an afterschool program in Illinois, three more are waiting for an opportunity to participate. Families across the state continue to struggle to find affordable, accessible programs during the hours when school is not in session. 19,000 students in Illinois lost afterschool programs and community schools due to grant cancellations from the Trump administration. And afterschool programs received no increases in the last state and federal budget, despite high need and increasing costs. This settlement gives Illinois the opportunity to make a meaningful investment in closing that gap.
“We cannot simply take something harmful away from young people and call it a solution. We must also invest in the resources and opportunities that help our children thrive,” said Stanton. “Illinois has an obligation to make sure these resources reach young people and the organizations that serve them, and to make the investment in real life that our youth need and deserve.”
“ACT Now will continue working to ensure that every available dollar intended to address harms to young people is tracked and invested in ways that make a real difference. We will continue to advocate for young people and the organizations that serve them to have a voice in how these resources are spent.”
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ACT Now is a statewide coalition supported by afterschool providers, families, business leaders, school districts, community advocates, youth organizations, and policymakers.
