The Delta Issue #108
States Are Getting Billions From Meta. Here’s What I’d Do With It.
Hi y’all, it’s Jessica.
Last month, Meta reached a landmark settlement with states over claims that Facebook and Instagram are addictive and harmful to young people’s mental health. Along with changes to how teens use its platforms, the deal will send billions of dollars to states to invest back into kids.
Kids who spend more than three hours a day on social media face twice the risk of mental health problems like depression and anxiety. As a parent of three boys, I think about this all the time. My kids are growing up in a world of algorithms engineered to keep them watching. I can set rules in my own house, but I can’t opt them out of the world they’re growing up in.
So as states decide what to do with this money, I hope they think beyond helping kids spend less time online and invest in what they can be doing instead. There are incredible organizations already giving kids community, connection, trusted adults, and meaningful things to do after school, on weekends, and throughout the summer. Instead of asking schools to take on one more responsibility, let’s use the settlement dollars to help these organizations reach more kids.
In most states, attorneys general will be responsible for distributing this money. But state chiefs know what students and schools need, and they should have a voice in how these dollars are spent.
If I were in a state chief’s shoes, here’s what I’d tell my AG: Find the organizations already showing up for kids. Invest in them. Help them reach more kids.
Here are a couple places I’d start.
1️⃣ Invest in the organizations already showing up for kids
Research has found that young people who participate in things like sports, arts, and community programs spend less time on screens and report lower levels of anxiety and depression and greater life satisfaction. Having somewhere to go after school or on a Saturday, something you’re excited to get better at, and people who expect you to show up matters so much.
One of the organizations closest to my heart in Louisiana is The Baton Rouge Youth Coalition (BRYC) . I joined the board because when I was a teacher, I wished something like it existed for my students.
BRYC starts working with kids as early as eighth grade and stays with them through high school, college, and into their careers. Along the way, they do all the things that are easy to put on a program list: ACT prep, reading support, college applications, scholarships, campus visits, career guidance. And when a kid goes off to college and their car breaks down, or their dad loses his job, or they’re overwhelmed and thinking about dropping out, they know who to call. There is an adult on the other end who knows them, knows their family, and is going to help them figure out what comes next.
BRYC is one example, but I can think of so many others in Louisiana. There’s LIVE OAK WILDERNESS CAMP , where kids get outside, away from their screens, and build community. The 18th Ward gives young people a place to compete, play, and belong through sports. At unCommon Construction , young people literally build houses together while earning money and scholarships and learning skills they can carry into adulthood.
These may not be the first organizations that come to mind when someone says “mental health program,” but mental health isn’t only about treating a crisis. It’s also about investing proactively in the things we know can support kids’ well-being, and creating more real-life opportunities that pull kids away from their phones and into the world around them.
BRYC, Live Oak, 18th Ward, and unCommon Construction are Louisiana gems, but there are organizations like them in communities across the country. Find them. Fund them. Then use these dollars to help a whole lot more kids find their way to them.
2️⃣ Make measurement part of the deal
We should expect organizations receiving these dollars to be clear about what they’re trying to accomplish, and whether they’re accomplishing it.
Not every organization needs to produce the same metrics, and not everything that matters in a kid’s life fits neatly into a spreadsheet, but we should be asking some pretty basic questions: Are kids showing up? Are they coming back? Are they building relationships with adults and other kids? Do they feel like they belong? And over time, are we seeing the mental health, academic, or other outcomes these programs say they’re trying to improve?
BRYC is a good example. Every year, they put out clear impact reports showing how many kids they’re reaching, how much time they’re spending with them, what students think of the experience, and whether they’re seeing results. This past year, BRYC served nearly 600 students across 10 partner schools and provided more than 1,100 one-on-one advising sessions. BRYC graduates maintain an 84 percent college persistence rate—five times the national average for lower-income students—and have earned more than 375 degrees and $100 million in scholarships.
That’s the kind of evidence I’d want to see from organizations receiving these dollars, and states can make measurement part of the deal: if we’re going to invest in you, show us who you’re reaching, and whether what you’re doing is making a difference.
We have a rare opportunity to scale and strengthen organizations supporting kids outside the school day. Let’s use it to learn what’s working, invest more in the places getting results, and ultimately give more kids the relationships, experiences, and support they need to thrive.
Let’s Get Muddy
I know the Louisiana organizations because they’re in my backyard. I want to know yours.
What organization in your state is particularly good at giving young people community, connection, mentorship, or meaningful things to do outside the school day?
Drop it in the comments. We’d love to build a list.
