UK unveils sweeping social media ban for users under 16

The ban would apply to a range of social media platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X.

Yet another study finds too many kids are seeing harmful content on social media

A Molly Rose Foundation study found 34% of UK teens encountered suicide, self-harm, or eating disorder content on social media in a single week, barely unchanged from before the Online Safety Act took effect.

Facebook and Messenger outage sparks logout panic as Meta services stumble

A brief Meta outage logged users out of Facebook and Messenger, sent Downdetector complaints surging, and also affected Instagram while Threads remained less clear in available reports.

Instagram’s new voice message effects let you sound like a pirate, a grandma, or a World Cup fan

Instagram is expanding its AI-powered effects for voice notes to more users, growing the feature from eight effects at its India launch in March to 15, including a new Goal! filter tied to the FIFA World Cup.

Meta’s Edits app is getting an AI assistant and a desktop version

By integrating an AI assistant directly into Edits, Meta is aiming to keep creators engaged on Instagram as it continues to compete with TikTok and YouTube for creators’ attention.

You can now tell Instagram’s algorithm exactly what you want to see on your main feed

Instagram is giving users real control over their feeds with Your Algorithm, a feature that lets you add and remove topics across the whole app.

You can just tell the Instagram algorithm what you want now
You can just tell the Instagram algorithm what you want now

Instagram is going to let you tweak what its algorithm shows you on your main feed. With the Your Algorithm feature, “you can now see the topics we think you’re interested in, and change them, across all the major parts of Instagram,” according to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri. Right now, the feature will only surface […]

Meta will use your activity on other websites to personalize your feeds
Meta will use your activity on other websites to personalize your feeds

Meta is planning to use the data shared by other businesses to personalize your feed and its AI responses. In a blog post on Tuesday, Meta explains that it already uses your off-platform activity, like the games you play or your purchases on other websites, to serve you ads. But now it’s expanding the scope […]

Instagram is finally letting everyone reorganize their profile grid
Instagram is finally letting everyone reorganize their profile grid

Nearly a year after it was announced, Instagram says it’s delivering the ability to rearrange the posts in your profile grid. It had been available to some people in test groups, but as of June 8th, it’s rolling out widely via the Android and iPhone mobile apps. Until now, the posts on your Instagram profile […]