VPOST urges state leaders to dedicate settlement resources to afterschool and summer learning.
The Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time (VPOST) welcomes the landmark multistate settlement with Meta as an important step toward addressing the harms children and teens experience through social media and an opportunity to invest in the safe, enriching environments young people need beyond the school day.
VPOST applauds Attorney General Jay Jones for his leadership and ensuring Virginia is guaranteed $353 million, with additional funds possible. The agreement resolves claims brought by 47 states and other jurisdictions alleging that Meta's platforms exposed young people to serious mental health and safety risks.
For Virginia, this moment raises an important question: How can these resources help children spend less time isolated behind screens and more time connected to caring adults, peers, learning, and their communities?
VPOST fully supports Attorney General Jay Jones for recognizing the importance of investing settlement resources in "unplugged" programs and activities that help children reconnect with the real world. This vision aligns directly with Fund IRL's call for states to invest settlement resources in afterschool and summer programs, sports, arts, mentoring, outdoor activities, mental-health supports, and other opportunities that strengthen youth well-being.
"Virginia has an extraordinary opportunity to turn this settlement into an investment in the future of our children," said Blaire Denson , Executive Director of VPOST. "Young people need more than limits on screen time. They need safe places to go, caring adults who know them, meaningful relationships, and opportunities to discover their strengths. High-quality afterschool and summer programs provide exactly that.
The Need Is Clear
According to the Afterschool Alliance's 2025 America After 3 PM survey, 745,577 Virginia children have parents who want afterschool programs, but only 145,486 are enrolled. More than 600,000 additional children would participate if a program were available.
Afterschool and summer programs provide children and youth with opportunities to build relationships, develop teamwork and leadership skills, engage in STEM and the arts, receive academic support, explore careers and interests, participate in sports and hands-on learning, and access supportive adults and community resources.
"Children cannot thrive on screen restrictions alone," Denson said. "If we want young people to spend more time engaged in the real world. Virginia must make sure there is a real-world opportunity waiting for them."
VPOST urges state leaders to consider high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs as an important investment in the settlement's broader goals of improving child safety, well-being, and healthy development.
"The Meta settlement gives Virginia a chance to begin addressing years of underinvestment in the programs families depend on," Denson said. "We should invest in programs that give children something powerful to move toward, not simply something harmful to move away from."
