Your Daily Mental Health Briefing

An Update on the Harms of Social Media on Teen Mental Health: Meta Settles for $18 Billion

• Meta has reached an $18 billion settlement regarding claims that Instagram and Facebook were designed to promote compulsive use among children and adolescents, causing physical and mental harm, and that the company misled the public about these risks. The agreement, pending judicial approval, will implement new protections for users under 18 in participating U.S. states and territories, including a default two-hour daily time limit that requires parental permission to override.

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• California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bipartisan measure on August 28, 2026, to bolster suicide prevention efforts specifically targeting boys and young men. This initiative builds on previous efforts to address behavioral health challenges in this demographic, noting that men die by suicide at 3.6 times the rate of women and are significantly less likely to seek help.

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• The Idaho Behavioral Health Council finalized recommendations on August 29, 2026, to prioritize opioid settlement funds for at-risk populations and communities across the state. The council, comprising legislative, judicial, and executive branches, identified counties facing the highest risk of opioid use disorder, including Kootenai, Benewah, and Ada counties, to guide targeted spending.

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