The National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) is severing ties with Meta, citing concerns stemming from the social media giant’s ongoing legal battles over child safety. This decision marks a significant shift for the influential education organization, which had partnered with Meta for several years.
Yvonne Johnson, president of the National PTA, informed members in a letter that the organization would not renew its funding from Meta for the “PTA Connected” initiative in 2026. This program was designed to equip parents, children, and educators with knowledge and resources regarding digital safety tools.
“As you may have observed, there has been intensified public and legal scrutiny surrounding companies, including Meta, concerning digital safety. These issues have presented new challenges that have proven to be both time-consuming and complex for the National PTA,” Johnson stated in her February correspondence. The exact amount of funding received from Meta was not disclosed.
Meta is currently entangled in high-profile trials in both California and New Mexico. These lawsuits allege that the company has intentionally misled the public regarding the safety of its popular applications, such as Instagram.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s CEO, recently testified in Los Angeles Superior Court in a trial where a plaintiff, identified as KGM, claims to have developed an addiction to apps like Instagram and YouTube due to specific design features, leading to significant mental distress. Concurrently, in New Mexico, the state’s attorney general has accused Meta of failing to adequately protect its platforms from online predators. Meta has denied all allegations in both cases.
A spokesperson for Meta declined to comment on the PTA’s decision. The National PTA has not yet provided further statements.
The partnership between the National PTA and Meta began in 2017, with the previous agreement concluding on December 31, 2025.
Child-safety advocacy group Parents for Safe Online Spaces (ParentsSOS) applauded the National PTA’s decision. Sharon Winkler, a founding member, stated that Zuckerberg’s testimony underscored the validity of the PTA’s choice to end the collaboration. “For years, his company has deliberately engineered addictive pathways into its social media products,” Winkler remarked. “The consequence of Zuckerberg’s avarice and relentless pursuit of market dominance has been the harm of countless children and the devastation of families like ours.”
ParentsSOS has also urged the National PTA to re-evaluate its other partnerships with “Big Tech” companies, including Discord, Google, and TikTok, citing similar child safety and well-being concerns. These technology firms, among others, are facing numerous lawsuits across the country over allegations that their product designs and features pose serious risks to the mental health of young users and compromise their safety.
This development follows a report by the Tech Transparency Project (TTP), which characterized the Meta-PTA relationship as part of a broader strategy by the social media giant to influence public discourse on child safety within its apps. The TTP suggested that as Meta faced increasing pressure regarding its impact on children, the company employed various tactics to shape the narrative.
At the time of the TTP report, the National PTA had explained that accepting Meta’s sponsorship provided the company with a platform to advocate for parents and children. The organization stated that its collaboration aimed to inform families about app safety, available tools like parental controls and age-gated features, and resources such as parent guides and online safety centers.
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