For Immediate Release

OAKLAND, Calif. — As states determine how to use the nearly $20 billion dollars from the recent landmark settlement with Meta over harms associated with Instagram and Facebook, the National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) is calling on state attorneys general to put young people’s mental health and well-being at the center of their decisions.

In a letter sent Wednesday to state attorneys general, NCYL outlines recommendations for investing settlement funds in solutions that address the harms young people have experienced on social media while building the supports and opportunities they need to thrive. The recommendations emphasize meaningful youth participation in funding decisions, expanded access to mental health care, prevention and early intervention, digital literacy, and sustained investment in community-based programs.

“States have an historic opportunity to turn this settlement into lasting investments in young people that reflect what youth need,” said Shakti Belway, NCYL Executive Director. “This is the time to expand access to effective supports and strengthen communities, all of which help children and youth thrive. We must look beyond crisis response to build the conditions for young people’s mental health and well-being over the long term.”

The settlement in California, et al. v. Meta, Inc., et al. provides for roughly $17 billion in payments to participating states. The agreement identifies a range of potential uses for the funds, including youth mental health programming, crisis intervention services, after-school and summer programs, digital wellness education, and efforts to improve teen safety on social media.

For states, the settlement represents an opportunity not only to respond to the harms at the center of the litigation, but also to strengthen the systems and resources that support young people’s long-term health and well-being.

NCYL’s recommendations call on states to:

• Give young people real decision-making power: Engage youth leaders, advisory boards, and youth-serving organizations in determining funding priorities, and establish youth participatory budgeting processes that give young people meaningful influence over how settlement funds are allocated.
• Invest in prevention, early intervention, and accessible mental health care: Support the full continuum of care, from programs that foster belonging, healthy relationships, and connection to early identification of mental health needs, crisis services, and clinical treatment. Expand school-based and school-linked mental health services, particularly in under-resourced communities.
• Fund approaches that work for diverse communities: Expand evidence-based interventions while also investing in community-defined practices rooted in cultural knowledge and community experience. Ensure that programs respond to the needs of young people who face disproportionate barriers to care, including LGBTQ+ youth and young people in the foster and juvenile justice systems.
• Build digital literacy and strengthen peer support: Ensure young people, caregivers, educators, and other trusted adults have opportunities to learn about mental health, online safety, privacy, exploitation, and the risks of AI-generated content. Invest in peer and near-peer programs that help young people connect with trusted peers and access additional care when needed.
• Plan for lasting impact and prioritize human-delivered care: Identify opportunities to leverage settlement funds to draw down federal Medicaid funding and sustain effective programs over time. Direct mental health investments toward individualized care delivered by trained professionals, rather than outsourcing young people’s mental health needs to AI chatbots or returning funds to the technology sector responsible for the harms addressed by the settlement.

The letter also emphasizes that states should account for differences in their existing systems and the needs of their communities, while ensuring that settlement investments reach young people who have historically been underserved. The letter encourages state leaders to work in partnership with youth and community-based organizations throughout the funding process and to build programs that can continue delivering benefits beyond the life of the settlement funds.

“Protecting young people online must go hand in hand with ensuring they have access to the resources and care they need offline,” Belway said. “While changes to social media platforms may help reduce harm, they can’t replace accessible mental health services, trusted adults, supportive schools, and opportunities for young people to connect with their communities.”

NCYL is available to support state leaders as they determine how to use settlement funds to advance young people’s mental health and well-being.

Read the full letter to the state attorneys general here.

###

The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) advances justice for children and youth through impact litigation, policy advocacy, collaboration, and research. For more than 50 years, NCYL has worked to ensure that young people have the resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive.