John Ptacin
Member, Clendaniel Heyman Campion
Part 2 of the series School Law Pipeline – AK Style
John M. Ptacin, Clendaniel Heyman Campion LLC
On August 26, 2026, the Alaska Attorney General announced the State signed on to a $17.1 billion multi-state settlement with Meta Platforms, Inc., which runs the popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. As a result of the settlement, Alaska will net approximately $16 million in funds. Additionally, Meta has agreed to implement safety features designed to protect children and families from overuse of these social media platforms.
The settlement is a positive step towards curbing the outsized role social media plays in the lives of Alaska students. Here is what to expect from the settlement and what your District can do to maximize protections under the agreement.
School-day notifications from Facebook and Instagram will be turned off for minors
Under the agreement, Meta apps will mute push notifications (that annoying ding you’ve heard in your schools) except for direct messages and alerts about account security or safety. Such notifications will be turned off between 8 am and 3 pm on weekdays during the school year.
Usage curbs outside the classroom
Platforms like Instagram and Facebook now enforce a default two-hour daily time limit for teens (adjustable only by parents) and block late-night access, which aims to improve sleep and help students stay focused during the school day.
Potential investment in alaska children
The settlement directs millions of dollars to Alaska “for any lawful purpose.” School Districts may not receive direct funds from the settlement. But hopefully the money will be spent on further efforts to protect students from overuse of social media.
More social media cases are still in the pipeline
The settlement announced last week does not resolve separate litigation, including a high-profile case brought by school districts against Meta, Snap Inc., YouTube and TikTok. In that case, about 1,400 school districts claim the companies’ apps contributed to a youth mental health crisis that caused schools to invest in counselors, security staff, and other remedies. In February 2027, Arizona’s Tucson Unified School District and South Carolina’s Charleston County School District will try their version of these claims in Court.
Practice Pointers
In addition to providing updates on the law, we provide “practice pointers” for school boards and administrators to consider. Based on the Meta Settlement, your District should consider taking the following steps:
1. If your District already has smartphone restrictions, the settlement should significantly help with enforcement of your policies. After the settlement, the only way a student could access Facebook or Instagram during the school day is if their parent or guardian has disabled the teen restrictions on the device or the student is over eighteen years of age. Your District could reach out to families advocating for the default restrictions on student devices.
2. Consider changing your District’s policies to align with the Meta settlement.
3. Contact your Alaska State Legislators to determine whether they will allocate the settlement funds towards Alaska students.
School Law Pipeline – AK Style
More from this series
The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Association of Alaska School Boards. AASB welcomes diverse perspectives and civil discourse. To submit a Guest Column for consideration, see our Guest Column Guidelines and send your 400-1000 word submission to the AASB Communications Team.