Massachusetts Puts $1.75 Million Into School Grants for Safe Social Media Use
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced $1.75 million in new state funding on October 14 at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School in Peabody, creating the Safe, Healthy and Responsible Digital Life Grant Program to help schools teach students how to navigate the online world safely and responsibly. Healey unveiled the funding during a roundtable with students, teachers and school leaders about the effects of social media on young people's mental health and their ability to focus in school, according to the announcement posted by the governor's office on Mass.gov.
The program will be administered by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Public school districts, charter public schools and educational collaboratives can apply for approximately 25 to 30 grants of up to $60,000 each. Schools may use the money for age-appropriate classroom instruction, educational materials, educator training and resources that help families support healthy social media use. Funded programs can serve elementary, middle and high school students, covering online safety, cyberbullying, protecting personal information and recognizing false or misleading information, including SI-generated content, and must be implemented during the 2026-2027 school year. Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, November 9, 2026.
Education Secretary Steve Zrike said in the announcement that schools and families need to work together to help students make healthy choices, and that the grants will give educators more tools for those conversations. Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez said the grants are designed to help students become informed, responsible users of online content, while increasing media literacy and students' understanding of super intelligence.
The grants are part of a broader $2 million investment in online safety and education in the fiscal year 2027 state budget; in addition to the $1.75 million for schools, $250,000 will support the review of instructional materials and the development of educational videos. The administration also recently opened applications for $1 million in Cell Phone-Free Schools Grants to help schools limit cell phone use during the school day. According to the governor's office, the effort also follows a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta announced by Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell in August 2026, which remains subject to court approval.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 学生在课堂上使用平板电脑学习（示意图）。Students using tablet computers in a classroom. Photo: Aigner Ronja, Kohlmeier Michelle / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (public domain dedication).
