New Futures Statement on New Hampshire's Meta Settlement Funds for Children's Mental Health

CONCORD, N.H.—Earlier today, Governor Kelly Ayotte announced that New Hampshire could receive up to $224 million from Facebook’s parent company, Meta, after the state joined dozens of other states in claiming that the company’s products hurt young users.

Governor Ayotte said the funds will be used to continue efforts to protect children and support youth mental health services in New Hampshire.

The announcement comes as the state's newly released 2025 Youth Risk Behavior Survey shows encouraging progress on youth mental health, with the share of high schoolers reporting their mental health was not good most or all of the time dropping to 26 percent, down from 36 percent in 2021.

Alongside the payment, Meta must adopt a series of default protections for young users on Instagram and Facebook, including a combined two-hour daily time limit with built-in pauses, nighttime access blocks from midnight to 6 a.m., limits on push notifications during the school day, stronger age verification, and new controls letting parents and kids turn off features like visible "like" counts and beauty filters linked to poor mental health outcomes.

New Futures, New Hampshire’s leading health policy organization, issued the following statement from Emma Sevigny, Senior Policy Director, Children’s Behavioral Health, regarding these funds:

“New Hampshire's newest data on youth mental health gives us real reason for hope. The share of high schoolers reporting their mental health was not good most or all of the time has dropped ten points since 2021, down to about one in four students today. More teens report feeling connected to their communities than ever before. That progress is the result of sustained investment in youth mental health services, and it tells us that when we invest, it works.

We commend Governor Ayotte and Attorney General Formella for their leadership in securing this settlement and holding Meta accountable for the harm its products have caused young users. We're also encouraged by the new default protections Meta must put in place, from daily time limits to nighttime access blocks to stronger parental controls. Just as important, we commend the Governor for her clear commitment to directing these funds toward children's behavioral and mental health supports. That is exactly where this investment belongs.

Nearly one in four New Hampshire high schoolers still say their mental health is not good most of the time, and families in rural communities in particular still face long waits and limited access to care. This settlement is a rare opportunity to build on the progress already underway and close that gap for good. We look forward to working with the Governor, the Attorney General, and lawmakers to ensure these funds translate into lasting, accessible mental health resources for New Hampshire kids and families."

—Emma Sevigny, Senior Policy Director, Children's Behavioral Health, New Futures

New Futures has worked for over a decade to strengthen New Hampshire's children's behavioral health system, including championing legislation to create the children’s system of care, develop crisis services, support school-based supports, and most recently, a multi-year effort to secure equitable insurance coverage for wraparound services that keep kids with complex behavioral health needs supported in their homes, schools, and communities.

New Futures is a New Hampshire nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing policies that improve health and well-being for all Granite Staters.