More than 100 area youth will use real-time smartphone polling at a Knoxville Youth Town Hall to weigh in on screen time, social media’s effect on their lives, and how Tennessee’s new Children’s Digital Protection Fund should be invested — in front of judges, elected officials and community leaders.

WHAT:

The Knoxville Youth Town Hall, a live, interactive event where more than 100 local youth will answer an 11-question audience poll in real time — results displayed on screen instantly — covering screen time, social media’s emotional impact, and how they believe Tennessee should invest the $751.9 million it is receiving from the state’s landmark settlement with Meta. A moderated youth panel discussion runs alongside the polling.

WHO:

• Judge Bill Jones, Juvenile Court Judge, Campbell County (panel moderator)
• Cole Green and Audie Seay, audience co-hosts
• Youth panelists: Makayla Turner (Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley), Tion Weaver (Knoxville Inner City Kids Outreach), Cole Burchell (Tennessee 4-H) and Jamille Bowers (Big Brothers Big Sisters)
• A subject-matter expert from the University of Tennessee College of Social Work
• 100+ area youth participants, plus government and business leaders from across the region

WHEN:

Thursday, October 1, 2026  |  5:00 – 6:15 p.m. ET
Media check-in: 4:30 p.m.

WHERE:

DeBusk Family Club, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley
1819 Dry Gap Pike, Knoxville, TN 37918

VISUALS:

• Live results from an 11-question youth poll, displayed on two large screens as they come in
• Teens voting by QR code, then checking their own screen-time data live on stage
• Youth panelists speaking directly to judges, elected officials and business leaders

WHY IT MATTERS:

On August 26, 2026, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti announced a $17.1 billion multistate settlement with Meta, resolving a lawsuit alleging Instagram harmed children’s mental health and misled parents about the risks. Tennessee’s share — $751,922,691.13 — will fund the state’s newly created Children’s Digital Protection Fund, and the settlement separately requires Meta to add new safeguards on Instagram and Facebook, including daily time limits, overnight access blocks and restrictions on school-hours notifications. State leaders have not yet decided how Tennessee’s fund will be spent. The Knoxville Youth Town Hall — organized by Boys & Girls Clubs Tennessee Alliance in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley — puts that decision in front of the young people it is meant to help.

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY

Bart McFadden, Executive Director of Boys & Girls Clubs Tennessee Alliance, is available for interviews in the days before or after the event to discuss:

• What Tennessee’s $751.9 million Meta settlement and new Children’s Digital Protection Fund could mean for young people statewide
• Why Boys & Girls Clubs Tennessee Alliance believes young people should have a formal voice in how that fund is spent
• What the town hall’s poll results reveal about how Knoxville-area teens spend their time — and what they say they need more of