Colorado Meta Settlement Funds:Nearly $615 Million for Kids' Mental Health
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Last updated November 6, 2026. Colorado has announced the settlement and its youth-focused purpose. We have not found a public Colorado spending plan or related media RFP as of this date. We'll update this page as plans are announced.
Colorado was a co-lead state in the multistate Meta case and is set to receive a large, multi-year share aimed at children's mental health and safety. Here's what Attorney General Phil Weiser's office has said, what the court has entered, and how agencies can plan offline youth and parent outreach without waiting on a confirmed media budget.
Colorado's share of the Meta settlement
- Amount (youth): Colorado will receive close to $615 million over nine years, which the Attorney General's office says will go directly to protecting and restoring the mental health and safety of Colorado children [1].
- Court status: Chief Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers entered the multistate consent judgment on August 26, 2026 [2][3]. The youth payment is separate from Colorado's additional Cambridge Analytica-related payment, which is not counted in the $615 million youth figure above [1].
- Status of spending: As of November 6, 2026, we have not found a public Colorado allocation plan, dedicated fund statute, or RFP that awards Meta youth-settlement dollars to advertising or communications vendors. AG Weiser said in August that it was still too early to break down exactly where the money would go, and that the office would work to put funds to use over the months ahead [4].
What the money is for, and what isn't decided yet
The Attorney General's announcement ties Colorado's share to protecting and restoring children's mental health and safety [1]. The multistate settlement's example remedial uses include 988 and youth crisis lines, after-school and outdoor programs, public health advertising credits, a digital wellness public education fund, youth mental health programming, digital literacy counselors, provider training, and grants to schools and local governments [3]. Those are examples, not Colorado-specific line items.
Our planning judgment (not a funded program): agencies and AORs planning Colorado youth mental health, 988, digital wellness or school-based prevention work should monitor Colorado Attorney General and state procurement announcements while funding decisions take shape. That is not the same as a live media RFP, and it is not a claim that settlement dollars are already budgeted for place-based advertising.
Reaching Colorado kids and parents where they are
Colorado mixes dense Front Range metros with mountain and rural counties, and many households speak Spanish at home. If settlement-funded work turns into youth mental health, crisis-line or digital-wellness campaigns, place-based options that keep the message offline include:
- K-12 schools, including elementary, middle and high schools, for students, staff and parents.
- Pediatric and primary care offices, plus clinic staff lounges for providers.
- Community and recreation centers, where teens and families spend after-school and weekend time.
- Daycare and childcare centers for parents of younger kids at drop-off and pick-up.
- Gas stations and convenience stores across the Front Range and rural corridors.
- Hispanic and Latino communities, with in-language creative where the brief calls for it.
These are venue types we can plan for in Colorado; availability depends on partner approval and inventory at the time of a plan, and is not a guarantee that every listed location is open. See OOH & DOOH advertising in Colorado.
PlaceBased Media is the offline, place-based media partner for state programs and their agencies. Get a media plan →
Frequently asked questions
01How much is Colorado getting from the Meta youth settlement?
Attorney General Phil Weiser's office says Colorado will receive close to $615 million over nine years for protecting and restoring the mental health and safety of Colorado children. A separate Cambridge Analytica-related payment is not included in that youth figure.
02Has Colorado published a spending plan or media RFP for these funds?
Not that we have found publicly as of November 6, 2026. The settlement and consent judgment are in place. How Colorado will allocate the dollars, and whether any portion funds public awareness or advertising, has not been detailed in a public plan or RFP we can cite.
03Can Colorado Meta settlement money pay for public awareness campaigns?
The multistate settlement lists public health advertising credits and a digital wellness public education fund among example uses. Whether Colorado directs any of its share that way depends on state decisions that are still taking shape. Treat awareness spending as possible, not confirmed.
04How can a Colorado youth campaign reach families offline?
PlaceBased Media is the offline, place-based media partner for state programs and their agencies. In Colorado, we can plan placements in K-12 schools, pediatric and primary care offices, community and recreation centers, daycares, and gas stations across Front Range and rural markets, with in-language creative when needed, subject to partner approval and inventory. Get a media plan or email hello@placebased.media.
Planning Colorado youth mental health or digital-wellness outreach?
Get a media plan → · Download the sample media plan · hello@placebased.media
Sources
- Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser press release, Aug 26, 2026: https://coag.gov/press-releases/weiser-announces-historic-settlement-with-meta/
- Order entering the consent judgment (N.D. Cal., Aug 26, 2026): https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.401490/gov.uscourts.cand.401490.3451.0.pdf
- Meta / state AGs consent judgment and settlement agreement (Colorado AG exhibit PDF): https://coag.gov/app/uploads/2026/08/01-Exhibit-1-MDL-Consent-Judgment-FINAL-Settlment-Agreement-Fully-Executed.pdf
- CBS Colorado, Aug 26, 2026 (Weiser on early stage of fund allocation): https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/colorado-mom-social-media-addiction-meta-settlement-turning-point/
- Facts checked Nov 6, 2026 (America/Chicago). No public Colorado Meta youth-settlement media RFP or detailed allocation plan found as of that date.
Other states, side by side.
Youth Social Media Settlement Funds
How states can spend Meta and TikTok settlement funds on youth mental health and digital wellness, and how to reach teens and parents offline.
Kansas
Kansas gets $134M+ from the Meta settlement. Who controls the money, where the plan stands, and how to reach Kansas teens and parents offline.
Alabama
Alabama's TikTok and Meta settlements could bring the state more than $228M for youth harms. What's known about the funds, who decides, and how to reach families.
New Jersey
New Jersey will get at least $545M from the Meta settlement. What AR160 and other proposals say, who decides, and how to reach NJ teens and parents offline.
New Mexico
New Mexico's $942M Meta judgment sets aside $33M for awareness and prevention, including media campaigns. What's known and how to reach NM families offline.
Mississippi
Mississippi's $189M Meta settlement plan sends $6.8M a year to youth mental health, plus parks and afterschool. What's in it and how to reach MS teens offline.
Tennessee
Tennessee's Meta settlement money goes to the new Children's Digital Protection Fund. What the law allows, who decides, and how to reach Tennessee families.
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