Half a Billion in Meta Money Could Reach After-School Programs if Harrisburg Agrees on Who Controls It

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania stands to receive between $516 million and $729 million over ten years from a multistate settlement with Meta, money that could flow to after-school programs, youth mental health services and crisis hotlines. First, Harrisburg has to agree on who controls it.

Attorney General Dave Sunday announced the settlement Aug. 26. It concerns alleged harm to young social media users, which Meta denied in the agreement, and it directs the money into a fund controlled by the attorney general’s office, according to Spotlight PA.

The agreement allows spending on youth crisis hotlines, after-school and summer programs, youth mental health programming, digital wellness education and other public health initiatives. It also permits grants to school districts and local governments for those purposes.

The complication is Pennsylvania’s fiscal code, which says money an agency receives from a settlement is deemed funds of the commonwealth and must be deposited into the General Fund, the state’s main operating account.

Lawmakers from both parties told Spotlight PA they expect a say in spending decisions. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman called the question of who controls the money “a bit of an open question,” noting that past settlements have taken different paths.

The attorney general’s office is consulting stakeholders but did not directly answer whether it has the legal authority to keep and spend the funds, Spotlight PA reported Oct. 5.

The first payment is scheduled for Jan. 15, 2027. For Philadelphia families, the outcome will shape whether new dollars reach after-school programs, digital literacy efforts and youth mental health services in the city.

The state settlement does not end the broader lawsuits that school districts and individuals have brought against social media companies.