‘Once you’re hooked, then what?’: KIRO hosts call for WA’s Meta settlement to fund help for people struggling with social media

Washington will receive at least $237 million over the next decade through a multistate settlement resolving allegations that Meta harmed children through its Facebook and Instagram platforms. The attorney general’s office identified attorney costs, consumer protection enforcement, and programs addressing youth social media harms as uses for the money but did not detail those programs in its announcement.

Discussing the settlement during “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio, co-host Ursula Reutin and guest host Angela Poe Russell called for spending that directly helps people affected by social media use.

“We absolutely need more education, more education programs. Support the schools, support parents in helping kids understand the dangers of social media and what is there that can get them hooked or can get them into trouble,” Ursula said. “That’s one thing, but the other part is some of the money should also be used to help kids who’ve been harmed by it.”

Angela asks what happens after prevention falls short

Angela discussed ways to spend the settlement, including helping schools keep phones put away during the day. She also asked what assistance could be offered to people already struggling with their use.

“I’m not an expert in addiction, but it seems like some kind of miniature program that people could go through to either detox or get some resources to help,” Angela said. “Because I think education is one piece to prevent the addiction in the first place. But once you’re hooked, then what? What is there to help all the college students that are now too old to benefit from some of these things to get support?”

Angela also proposed classroom instruction about managing social media use.

“What if the money funded a class, like in the school, and healthy social media use and tips for how to avoid addiction, signs you’re addicted and how to get out of it, stuff you can put in place,” Angela said.

Hosts discuss their own screen habits

Angela compared scrolling on her phone with playing the Pac-Man machine she received for her 50th birthday.

“I play it all the time. Here’s the thing about the Pac-Man machine: I can say, you know, I think I’m done,” Angela said. “It feels very healthy. And there’s something about the way this thing is designed with the scroll and the scroll that makes it so much harder.”

Ursula described how she dismisses notifications about how much time she spends on her phone.

“You know what I do when that thing pops up? I shut it down. I don’t look at it,” Ursula said. “I always justify it saying, ‘Well, I’m on it for work. I’m on it for work.’”

Angela plans to raise spending questions with attorney general

After a listener described creating digital safety lessons for foster parents and children, Angela asked the listener to contact her with more information.

“As a social worker, when this digital issue started coming up with my clients’ children, I would make curriculum and do digital cyber and safety lessons for foster parents and the children,” the Lakewood listener wrote. “This money is going to get misused, as it always has, and should be given as financial aid to those who have coded for electronic addiction.”

Since Attorney General Nick Brown has been a returning guest on the show, Angela considered taking her recommendations straight to the top.

“I would love — because I plan to advocate to the attorney general. I know we have a relationship with him on ‘The Gee and Ursula Show,’” Angela said. “I want to make sure this money is used in a way that actually helps people harmed.”

Ursula suggested asking Brown for details about programs under consideration.

“Maybe there are some actual programs, because it was kind of vague in the description as to what’s going to go on with the money,” Ursula said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.