The withdrawal came on July 22, 2026, just five days before the scheduled start of jury selection for the trial in Los Angeles, according to court filings and statements from the teen’s attorneys. The 15-year-old plaintiff, identified as R.K.C. in legal documents, had already reached confidential settlements with TikTok, Snap, and YouTube in related personal injury claims alleging that their platforms contributed to depression, anxiety, and addictive behaviors. Meta Platforms was the sole remaining defendant in the case at the time of withdrawal, halting what was expected to be a bellwether trial testing claims against social media companies over youth mental health harms.

Attorney Emily Jeffcott, representing R.K.C., said the decision to drop the lawsuit was driven by the teen’s desire to focus on recovery and avoid the psychological strain of a prolonged trial.

Jeffcott told reporters that the teen was “satisfied” with the settlements reached with other defendants and cited concerns about the emotional toll of testifying about mental health struggles and social media use in a high-profile courtroom. The legal team described the withdrawal as a personal and health-driven choice rather than a concession on the broader arguments about social media design and its effects on minors.

Meta issued a public statement asserting that the claims “never held up” and framed the withdrawal as vindication of its position. A Meta spokesperson told the BBC that the allegations were “unfounded” and confirmed that R.K.C. received no financial payment from Meta in connection with dropping the lawsuit. This distinguished Meta’s stance from the confidential settlements reached with TikTok, Snap, and YouTube, which did not disclose terms. Meta has consistently argued in court that accusations of intentionally harming children or creating unlawfully addictive products lack merit and pointed to safety features and parental controls as evidence of its efforts to protect young users.

The lawsuit filed by R.K.C. in California state court in Los Angeles alleged that Meta’s platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, were intentionally designed with addictive features such as endless scrolling, auto-playing videos, frequent notifications, and algorithmic recommendations that made it difficult for minors to disengage. The complaint claimed these design elements contributed to the teen’s depression, anxiety, sleep loss, and compulsive social media use resembling addiction. The suit placed Meta’s conduct within the context of a broader youth mental health crisis, linking platform features to increased risks of self-harm, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation among young users. The plaintiff sought monetary damages and aimed to pressure social media companies to change product designs to reduce addictive qualities and improve safety warnings.

The case was part of a larger wave of litigation brought by teenagers, school districts, and state attorneys general against Meta, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap, alleging that their platforms caused or contributed to mental health harms in minors. R.K.C.’s lawsuit was considered a bellwether personal injury suit within this coordinated litigation, intended to test legal theories about whether engagement-driven features could be treated similarly to tobacco or gambling products under personal injury law. The trial was scheduled to begin on July 27, 2026, with jury selection and opening statements expected that week.

The withdrawal of R.K.C.’s lawsuit did not affect a separate March 2026 jury verdict in Los Angeles, in which a different plaintiff, K.G.M., secured a $6 million award after a jury found Meta and YouTube negligent for designing addictive products that harmed a young user. That case was the first social media addiction trial to reach a jury verdict on alleged harms to a minor and remains a significant precedent in ongoing litigation. Jurors in the K.G.M. case reviewed internal company documents, expert testimony, and the plaintiff’s account of her mental health struggles linked to endless scrolling and algorithmic recommendations.

Legal analysts note that Meta continues to face hundreds of related lawsuits in state and federal courts alleging that its products harm children’s mental health. While the halted trial provided Meta a temporary reprieve, the broader litigation landscape remains active. Confidential settlements with TikTok, Snap, and YouTube suggest some platforms may prefer early resolution rather than jury trials, though details and any resulting product changes have not been disclosed. Meanwhile, school districts and state attorneys general are pursuing separate suits seeking damages and injunctive relief to force design changes, warning labels, or age-related restrictions on certain features.

The combination of the K.G.M. verdict and R.K.C.’s withdrawal illustrates the complex and evolving nature of social media harm litigation. Plaintiffs have obtained at least one substantial jury verdict, while Meta has avoided a potentially expansive trial in this case. The broader legal debate over the responsibility of social media companies for youth mental health continues in courts across the United States.

The 26 plaintiffs, identified as current and former Meta employees, allege in their complaint filed Monday evening in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that Meta’s AI-driven layoff system disproportionately targeted workers in protected categories. The affected employees were notified in May that their positions would be eliminated, with termination dates beginning July 22, according to court records.

The lawsuit claims that employees with disabilities, medical conditions, pregnancy, or those on medical, parental, or family leave were unfairly penalized during the company’s May reduction of about 8,000 jobs, which represented roughly 10% of Meta’s workforce.

The complaint asserts that Meta used “a constellation of internal artificial-intelligence systems” to score, rank, and select employees for termination instead of relying on managerial discretion. Among the tools cited is “Metamate,” an internal large language model AI assistant, and an employee-trained “second brain” system that analyzed workers’ communications and documents to contribute to termination rankings. The lawsuit further alleges that productivity scores were derived from extensive monitoring of employee activity, including keystrokes, mouse movements, screen content, emails, browser history, and messaging. Internal dashboards tracking employees’ use of Meta’s AI tools, referred to as AI token consumption, were reportedly used as proxies for productivity and factored into layoff decisions.

Plaintiffs contend that these activity-based metrics systematically disadvantaged employees on protected leave because their recorded activity was lower during approved absences. The complaint states that Meta’s AI systems did not adjust for legally protected leave, effectively penalizing employees for exercising their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and Pregnancy Discrimination Act. When Meta was allegedly made aware of the disproportionate impact on workers taking medical or family leave, the lawsuit claims the company did not pause or substantially modify the AI systems to address potential bias.

The plaintiffs also allege that the monitoring program, which captured keystrokes, browser data, and messaging activity, was rolled out in April through a secondary internal group rather than official company channels, and that many employees did not receive acknowledgment or consent options prior to implementation. In addition to federal claims under the ADA, FMLA, and Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the lawsuit cites violations of related state anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation laws, including recent legal requirements in California and New York City mandating bias audits of automated employment decision tools.

Meta has denied the allegations, with a company spokesperson stating, “These claims lack merit and are not based on facts. Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI.” According to Meta, human decision-makers, not AI systems, were responsible for organizational decisions, including layoffs. The company’s statement suggests that any AI or software tools used were supportive rather than determinative in the layoff process and rejects the characterization of the process as discriminatory against disabled workers or those on protected leave. Meta indicated it will vigorously defend the layoff decisions and contest the lawsuit’s claims.

The 26 employees are seeking a court injunction to block their scheduled terminations starting July 22 while their claims proceed. They are pursuing individual claims in arbitration but filed the federal lawsuit to challenge the overall AI-based layoff selection process and seek broader remedies. Among their requests is an independent audit of the algorithmic systems and procedures Meta used to assess employees for layoffs, aimed at uncovering potential bias and discriminatory impact.

Legal experts and media outlets have described the lawsuit as a novel case, likely the first major U.S. legal challenge directly targeting the use of artificial intelligence in corporate layoff decisions. The case underscores growing concerns about automated workplace decision-making, including the use of productivity monitoring and AI metrics, and the potential for legal disputes over algorithmic discrimination in employment.

Meta’s May layoffs were part of a broader restructuring effort to reduce staff by approximately 10% and close about 6,000 open positions as the company shifts focus toward AI initiatives. The ongoing litigation in Oakland federal court may influence how companies deploy AI tools in workforce management and how courts evaluate the legality of automated employment decisions in the future.

Good told the commission that He emphasized that Meta does not track antisemitic speech separately from overall hateful conduct, making it impossible to confirm any specific rise in anti-Jewish hatred using the company’s data. Good also said Meta has updated its hate speech policy to remove posts that use “Zionist” as a proxy for Jews or Israelis in a dehumanizing or violent manner, demonstrating continued attention to antisemitism.

Meta’s internal metric for hateful conduct violations has remained steady at 0.02% from 2022 through the period following the January 2025 policy changes, which he said indicates no measurable increase in hate content on the company’s platforms.

Meta’s January 2025 overhaul included a reduction in censorship, ending its third-party fact-checking program in key markets, and broadening the range of speech allowed on Facebook and Instagram. The company scaled back automated detection and removal of hate speech, reserving proactive enforcement mainly for severe categories such as terrorism and child sexual exploitation. Instead, Meta said it would rely more heavily on user reporting to address “lawful but awful” content, including hateful speech that does not meet the threshold of illegality under local law. To replace fact-checking, Meta introduced a “community notes” system modeled on the platform X, allowing users to append context or rebuttals rather than having posts removed. The Meta Oversight Board later criticized the rollout as “hasty” and lacking sufficient regard for human rights impacts, including the risk of increased hate targeting protected groups.

Meta representatives told the inquiry it was “entirely unrealistic” to attribute changes in moderator behavior solely to the policy changes, pushing back against claims that the moderation shift directly unleashed antisemitic content. Good described the company’s approach as a “reactive process” for handling hate speech, stating that Meta will respond to reports of hateful content but will not systematically scan for “lawful but awful” speech. Internal enforcement data presented to the Royal Commission showed a 79% drop in the volume of hateful conduct cases Meta took action on after the policy change. Good argued this reflected enforcement decisions rather than an underlying rise in hate content and maintained that the shift from proactive to reactive enforcement does not equate to tolerating more hate. He said the rollback was intended to reduce “over-enforcement” and protect freedom of expression, not to loosen standards on antisemitic or other hateful speech.

However, independent research and civil rights organizations have reported contrasting findings. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) documented that antisemitic harassment of Jewish U.S. lawmakers on Facebook nearly quintupled after the moderation changes, rising from an average of 6.5 antisemitic comments per day to almost 30. The ADL’s analysis covered more than 337,000 comments on the Facebook pages of 30 Jewish members of Congress between February 4 and April 7, 2025. The organization attributed the surge largely to Meta’s moderation rollback and concluded that the shift to user-driven reporting and reduced proactive enforcement “bears responsibility” for enabling antisemitic and hateful activity. ADL researchers also found that Meta’s trust-and-safety changes have produced a “dramatic increase of antisemitism and extremism” on its platforms, warning that Instagram risks becoming a hub for hate. Civil rights groups and independent analysts reported that Jewish creators face increased antisemitic trolling and harassment, while content countering extremism sometimes faces automated takedowns under the new system.

The backlash from Jewish advocacy organizations and lawmakers was swift following Meta’s January 2025 announcement. A December 16, 2025, letter from U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján, Jacky Rosen and Martin Heinrich to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed concern that the policy changes were exposing Jewish communities to more antisemitic abuse and demanded detailed data on hate speech enforcement. The ADL issued a formal statement expressing deep concern about Meta’s trust and safety changes and warned that outside a few categories such as terrorism and child sexual exploitation, the company would no longer proactively enforce its policies. The ADL’s recent “report card” found that Meta responded to “exactly zero” cases of antisemitic content when reported by average users in its testing, highlighting a significant gap between policy promises and enforcement outcomes. The Meta Oversight Board criticized the company for hastily implementing the January 2025 changes with insufficient consideration of their impact on vulnerable groups, noting that updated guidelines allowed broad negative statements about protected groups.

The Royal Commission was shown enforcement data indicating a 79% drop in Meta’s actions on hateful conduct cases, which commissioners suggested was plausibly linked to the announced policy shift, despite Meta’s attempt to decouple the two. Critics argue that Meta’s reliance on a single global prevalence metric masks localized spikes in antisemitic content and fails to capture harms experienced by targeted communities. The tension between Meta’s official stance and independent findings centers on a fundamental disagreement over measurement and responsibility: Meta denies causation based on its internal data and framing of “lawful but awful” speech, while researchers, Jewish organizations and oversight bodies cite empirical studies and lived experience to argue that the 2025 changes have materially increased antisemitic content and harassment.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg instructed company executives on June 26, 2026, to explore partnerships with prediction market platforms Polymarket and Kalshi while developing a similar app called Arena, sources confirmed. According to The New York Times and Reuters, the move aims to position Meta within the growing prediction market sector by combining external collaborations with an internally tested app.

The app is currently in internal testing and may never be launched, sources told Reuters on June 26, 2026. Arena is modeled on existing platforms Polymarket and Kalshi, two of the leading prediction market companies, but differs by initially avoiding cash wagers.

Meta is developing a prediction market-style app called Arena that would allow users to bet on sports, culture, entertainment, politics, and finance using video-game-like points rather than real money, according to The New York Times and Reuters.

Mark Zuckerberg instructed Meta executives to explore partnerships with Polymarket and Kalshi while Arena is being developed, multiple media outlets reported. The New York Times, citing three employees familiar with the discussions, said Zuckerberg dispatched a small internal team to build Arena and directed executives to engage in talks with the two external platforms. Reuters confirmed Zuckerberg “urged his lieutenants to explore partnerships” with Polymarket and Kalshi on June 26, 2026. Cryptopolitan and TheStreet also reported that Meta was pursuing deals with the prediction market companies, though the exact nature of any collaboration remains undefined, according to sources.

Arena’s design centers on a points-based system, which differentiates it from Polymarket and Kalshi’s real-money betting models. TechCrunch, citing the New York Times, described Arena as “experimental but a top priority” for Meta, emphasizing that it would initially function as a game where users earn points for correct predictions. TheStreet and The Week noted that Meta has not ruled out adding real-money betting in the future, suggesting the points system could be a transitional approach to navigate regulatory challenges. People familiar with Meta’s thinking told Reuters that using points would help Arena avoid immediate oversight from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates cash-settled event contracts.

Meta is targeting users between the ages of 18 and 34 for Arena, aiming to capture a younger demographic active on social media and interested in gaming and markets, sources told the New York Times. Internal targets reportedly include reaching at least 100 million monthly active “predictors” on the platform. Meta plans to launch Arena as a standalone app, separate from its existing social media services such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger, to test product fit and demand before potential integration.

If Arena proves successful, Meta intends to integrate its features into its core social platforms, including embedding prediction options into group chats, Reels, Stories, and News Feeds, according to reporting by Mother Jones and The Week. The company also plans to leverage its artificial intelligence model, Llama, to automatically generate prediction questions based on trending topics, adding an AI-driven layer to the app’s content. Industry sources said Meta’s social sites could direct users to Arena for specific topics, making prediction activities part of the overall engagement funnel.

No formal partnerships, equity investments, or integrations with Polymarket or Kalshi have been announced or confirmed by Meta. The New York Times emphasized that the nature and outcome of any potential collaborations remain uncertain, with discussions described as exploratory. Meta has not issued any public statement about partnerships or investments in either company. As of late June 2026, Arena remains in an experimental phase with no confirmed live integration with external prediction platforms.

The prediction market sector has grown rapidly, with one report estimating nearly $30 billion in bets processed in May 2026. Polymarket and Kalshi are considered dominant players in this space, setting benchmarks that Meta aims to match or exceed with Arena. The sector is subject to regulatory scrutiny and legal challenges, particularly regarding online gambling and financial oversight. By initially using a points-based system, Meta appears to be positioning Arena to operate outside immediate regulatory jurisdiction, though legal interpretations could evolve.

Meta’s move into prediction markets reflects broader industry trends toward integrating gaming, social media, and financial activities. The company’s approach combines internal development with outreach to established platforms, seeking to establish a foothold in a fast-growing but complex market. The outcome of these efforts, including any partnerships or product launches, remains to be seen as Meta continues to test and refine its strategy.

WhatsApp began testing AI-generated replies for business inboxes this week as part of Meta’s effort to automate customer messaging, according to the company’s Help Center. The feature allows businesses to generate suggested or automated responses within the WhatsApp Business environment, with controls to manage when and where AI replies are used.

The AI-generated reply feature for WhatsApp business inboxes is designed to assist companies in managing high volumes of customer messages by offering suggested or automated responses within the WhatsApp Business environment, according to WhatsApp’s Help Center. The feature is framed as an assistant tool rather than a fully autonomous chatbot, emphasizing controlled automation to improve response times for frequently asked questions.

Businesses can control when and where these AI replies are deployed, allowing for flexibility in automating parts of the customer communication process.

WhatsApp’s Help Center provides a step-by-step guide for setting up Business AI, directing users to access the feature through the Tools tab, then “Your Business AI,” followed by “AI replies.” Meta’s Facebook Business Help documentation also includes instructions for configuring Business AI on both Messenger and WhatsApp platforms. Meta describes the AI as capable of reading, understanding, and responding to customer messages, highlighting the company’s intent to integrate AI-driven automation across its messaging services. The official framing stresses governance and user controls to prevent unmoderated or unrestricted AI interactions.

The controls available to businesses extend to configuring AI replies as drafts, which require human review before sending, according to Hostaway’s Inbox AI Replies documentation, a third-party platform that supports WhatsApp automation. This approach suggests Meta is pursuing a model of configurable automation rather than a one-size-fits-all solution. Businesses can decide the degree to which AI handles the messaging workflow, which is particularly important for sensitive conversations that require human oversight. WhatsApp’s Help Center confirms that these inbox-level controls are designed to help companies tailor AI use to their operational needs.

The feature’s primary use case is to reduce response times in busy inboxes by quickly answering common questions. According to an analysis by Respond.io, businesses employing WhatsApp AI agents use them to greet customers, ask qualifying questions, interpret intent, and route conversations to the appropriate human agents or departments. Respond.io also notes that businesses need WhatsApp API access and a supporting platform to effectively manage conversations at scale. This aligns with Meta’s broader strategy to enhance WhatsApp’s utility for sales and customer support operations.

Additional automation features in the WhatsApp ecosystem include settings for AI agent selection, header and footer messages, stop keywords, and retry attempts, as demonstrated in a YouTube video showcasing WhatsApp AI agent configurations. Stop keywords allow users to disable AI responses and request human handling, while retry controls enable businesses to specify how many times the AI should attempt to respond if a message fails to send or process. These features indicate that automation is being implemented with multiple guardrails to maintain quality and user control.

Meta’s expansion of AI-enabled messaging features is evident across its platforms. Facebook Business Help documentation includes setup guides for Business AI on both Messenger and WhatsApp, and Instagram is also testing “smart replies,” according to publicly available information. This broader rollout reflects Meta’s effort to keep business communications within its suite of apps rather than relying on external tools. WhatsApp’s own Help Center materials confirm ongoing development and support for AI reply workflows.

Verified business use cases for WhatsApp AI agents include lead qualification by interpreting natural language and progressively collecting structured information such as product interest, budget, timeline, and location, according to Respond.io. Visito, a company specializing in WhatsApp AI agents, states that modern AI can understand conversational context, remember previous interactions, and solve problems more autonomously than traditional scripted bots. The business value centers on faster customer support, reduced manual workload, and improved lead handling efficiency.

The introduction of AI-generated replies in WhatsApp business inboxes is part of Meta’s larger automation initiative aimed at streamlining customer communication and enhancing the functionality of its messaging platforms for business users. Official documentation and third-party analyses confirm that the tools are designed with configurable controls to balance automation and human oversight.

Meta announced on Tuesday it has reserved up to 1 gigawatt of capacity from space solar startup Overview Energy, with the first orbital demonstration planned for 2028 and commercial power delivery expected by 2030. According to company officials, the solar-powered data centers will use satellites in geosynchronous orbit to provide continuous energy, aiming to cut energy costs for AI infrastructure by 30 percent.

The first orbital demonstration of Meta’s space-based solar power system is scheduled for 2028, with commercial power delivery expected around 2030, company officials said. The initial pilot project will include 25 megawatts of capacity and 2.5 gigawatt-hours of energy storage, according to details provided by Overview Energy, the space solar startup partnering with Meta. Meta has reserved up to 1 gigawatt of capacity from Overview Energy, with an agreement that grants the company preferred access to future capacity once technology milestones are met.

Meta’s solar-powered data centers will rely on satellites positioned in geosynchronous orbit roughly 22,000 miles above Earth, where the sun is continuously visible.

This arrangement allows the satellites to collect solar energy uninterrupted by weather, time of day, or seasonal variations, then beam the energy to collectors on the ground. The collected sunlight will be converted into electricity for distribution through Earth-based power grids, according to Overview Energy representatives.

The company emphasized that the data centers themselves will remain on Earth for easier maintenance, cooling, and physical security. “Space serves exclusively as an energy source, not an operational site,” Meta officials said. This approach is intended to reduce the complexity and cost of managing data center operations in orbit, as grid connection is significantly more cost-effective than running data centers in space.

To support the continuous energy demands of AI infrastructure, Meta has also partnered with energy storage firm Noon Energy to secure up to 1 gigawatt of power capacity and 100 gigawatt-hours of long-duration energy storage. This storage solution will enable the retention of excess renewable energy generated during peak production periods and stabilize power availability during extended low-generation intervals, company sources confirmed. Meta described this as a critical component to address the intermittent nature of traditional renewable energy systems.

Meta’s broader energy strategy includes contracts for more than 30 gigawatts of clean, renewable energy, encompassing geothermal projects and agreements for 7.7 gigawatts of nuclear capacity. The company reported that 100% of the electricity used in its owned and operated data centers is matched with clean renewable energy, underscoring its commitment to securing reliable, long-term energy supplies to support future AI expansion.

Despite these plans, both the space-based solar power technology and the associated long-duration storage systems remain in early development stages, according to industry experts and company disclosures. Challenges such as satellite launch costs, in-orbit maintenance procedures, and the economic viability of scaling the technology have yet to be fully resolved. No commercial operation of space-based solar power has been realized to date, and the timeline for widespread deployment depends on the successful achievement of several technical milestones outlined in the partnership agreement.

Meta’s announcement on April 28, 2026, marks one of the most ambitious attempts to integrate space-based solar power into data center energy infrastructure. The company’s pilot phase will begin with a 25-megawatt capacity expansion, with plans for full deployment contingent on the technology’s performance during initial demonstrations. Officials indicated that the project aims to complement existing renewable energy sources and storage solutions within Meta’s extensive energy portfolio.

Meta launched its Creator Fast Track program in early 2024 to prioritize Reels on Instagram and Facebook, aiming to attract established TikTok and YouTube creators, company officials said. The initiative sought to boost short-form video content on Meta’s platforms by offering incentives and streamlined support to high-profile influencers, sources confirmed.

The Creator Fast Track program, which Meta introduced in January 2024, offers selected creators enhanced monetization options, early access to new features, and dedicated support teams to accelerate their growth on Instagram and Facebook Reels, company officials said. The program is designed to compete directly with TikTok and YouTube by attracting influencers who have already built substantial followings on those platforms, according to sources familiar with Meta’s strategy. Participants in the program receive tailored guidance on content optimization and priority placement in Reels feeds, aiming to increase visibility and engagement.

In a February 2024 interview, Mosseri noted that Reels accounted for over 20% of Instagram’s total daily engagement, underscoring the platform’s shift toward short-form video content.

Meta executives, including Instagram head Adam Mosseri, have publicly emphasized the company’s commitment to expanding Reels as a core format. Internal documents reviewed by industry analysts show that Meta has allocated significant resources toward incentivizing creators to produce Reels, including bonus payments tied to video performance metrics such as views and shares.

The program’s launch follows Meta’s broader push to capture market share in the short-form video space, which has been dominated by TikTok since its global rise in 2018 and YouTube Shorts since 2020. Meta’s Q1 2024 earnings report highlighted Reels as a key driver of user engagement growth, with average daily time spent on Reels increasing by 15% compared to the previous quarter, according to financial disclosures. The company has also expanded its advertising offerings within Reels, enabling brands to reach audiences through immersive, vertical video ads, as detailed in a March 2024 Meta marketing briefing.

Sources confirmed that Meta’s recruitment efforts through Creator Fast Track include outreach to creators with follower counts exceeding 500,000 on TikTok and YouTube, offering them financial incentives and platform support to transition or diversify their content on Instagram and Facebook. While exact enrollment numbers have not been publicly released, industry observers estimate that several hundred creators have joined the program since its inception. Meta officials declined to provide specific participation figures but confirmed that the program remains selective and focused on high-impact creators.

Analysts tracking social media trends note that Meta’s approach reflects a broader industry shift toward short-form video formats, with Reels now constituting a growing percentage of content consumption across Meta’s family of apps. This aligns with Meta’s strategic goal to increase ad revenue through formats favored by younger demographics, who are more likely to engage with brief, dynamic videos. The company has also introduced new creator tools, such as enhanced editing features and analytics dashboards, to support content production and performance tracking, according to product updates released in February 2024.

Meta’s efforts to attract TikTok and YouTube creators come amid increasing competition for influencer talent and advertising dollars. TikTok reported in its Q4 2023 earnings a global user base exceeding 1.2 billion monthly active users, while YouTube Shorts surpassed 50 billion daily views worldwide in early 2024, according to data from market research firms. Meta’s pivot to prioritize Reels through initiatives like Creator Fast Track represents a strategic attempt to reclaim engagement and creator loyalty within this competitive landscape.

The company continues to refine the program based on creator feedback and platform performance metrics, with plans to expand incentives and feature access in the coming months, officials said. Meta’s broader content strategy remains focused on integrating Reels more deeply across Instagram and Facebook, aiming to create a seamless, engaging experience that appeals to both creators and audiences. The success of this approach will likely influence Meta’s positioning in the evolving short-form video market throughout 2024 and beyond.

Meta expanded its Manus AI platform Tuesday to integrate Instagram Creator Marketplace directly into its workflow tools for Facebook and Instagram. The update allows marketers to automate creator discovery and outreach using verified data from over 2 million creators across 18 markets, streamlining campaign management within the Manus environment, company officials said.

Marketers can automate the discovery and outreach process by filtering creators based on interests, audience demographics, and previous brand partnerships, all within the Manus environment, according to company statements. The supported markets include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. However, the connector is currently unavailable in European Union countries, sources confirmed.

The beta version of the new connector links Instagram Creator Marketplace directly into Manus AI workflows, providing access to a verified database of more than 2 million creators across 18 markets, Meta officials said.

The integration enables marketers to shift from manual browsing of the Creator Marketplace to a prompt-driven AI workflow. Marketers describe their criteria in natural language, and Manus AI matches creators accordingly, officials said. Outreach workflows are integrated with third-party tools such as Canva and Google Suite, allowing for seamless campaign execution without leaving the Manus platform. Brands can also upload existing creator lists to identify lookalike creators using first-party data, streamlining the process of expanding influencer partnerships, according to Meta’s product documentation.

Creator data is sourced from Meta’s authenticated database, which includes verified performance metrics and audience analytics such as age, gender, and location. Manus AI evaluates the alignment between creators and their audiences to identify optimal marketing partnerships, officials explained. The platform provides engagement rates, true reach, and other authenticated insights to support confident creator selection decisions. This data-driven approach aims to reduce friction between content creation and distribution on Instagram, according to company representatives.

To access the Instagram Creator Marketplace connector, businesses must have a verified Meta business portfolio and an Instagram Business Account linked to a Facebook Page. Operations must be conducted within one of the supported markets to use the connector. Multiple ad accounts can be connected and managed simultaneously within Manus, and the connection to Meta Ads Manager is read-only to prevent unintended campaign modifications, sources said.

Meta acquired Manus AI, a startup specializing in AI-powered marketing workflows, in December 2025. The expansion of Manus AI connectors across Meta’s marketing stack, including Ads Manager and WhatsApp Business, represents a step toward a fully integrated AI-powered workspace for businesses, company officials stated. The integration is designed to reduce the need for marketers to switch between multiple apps and tools for different marketing tasks. Manus AI agents operate in the background, connecting various tools to streamline workflows, according to internal sources.

The Meta Ads Manager Connector, also in early beta, allows real-time advertising data queries within Manus. It supports automated report generation and campaign performance analysis using natural language inputs. Manus translates raw data into reports, presentations, dashboards, or infographics, providing visual overviews and insights that help identify gaps and opportunities in Meta Ads strategies, company materials show.

In addition to creator discovery and campaign management, the Instagram Connector enables direct content creation and publishing from the Manus workspace. Supported formats include posts, carousels, Stories, and Reels with captions. The platform retrieves engagement data such as reach, likes, comments, shares, and saves, and provides strategic recommendations for improving content performance based on engagement analysis, officials said. A professional Instagram profile is required to use the content creation and publishing features.

The rollout of these connectors is part of Meta’s broader effort to integrate AI across its marketing tools and to enhance workflow automation for brands and marketers. The company continues to develop and expand the capabilities of Manus AI as part of its marketing technology ecosystem.

The Consumer Federation of America filed a lawsuit Tuesday in the District of Columbia Superior Court against Meta, alleging the company profited from scam advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. According to the complaint, Meta misled users about its efforts to combat fraud while generating more than 10% of its revenue from high-risk ads, violating the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the District of Columbia Superior Court, contends that Meta violated the District’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act by allowing scam advertisements to proliferate on Facebook and Instagram while profiting from them. The Consumer Federation of America (CFA), a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., brought the suit on behalf of consumers harmed by the alleged deceptive practices. According to the complaint, Meta misled users about its efforts to combat fraud, downplaying the scale of scams and creating a false impression of safety on its platforms.

Internal documents cited in the lawsuit reveal that Meta anticipated generating more than 10% of its revenue in 2024 from high-risk ads, including scam advertisements, illegal gambling, and prohibited goods.

The CFA states that this amounts to approximately $16 billion in profits for the year, a figure that matches the reported losses Americans faced due to online scams in 2024. The complaint asserts that Meta charges higher rates to advertisers deemed higher risk rather than banning them outright, effectively prioritizing revenue over user safety.

The CFA alleges that Meta’s policies allow scam ads to persist despite numerous user reports and that the company routinely ignores these complaints. The lawsuit points to Meta’s practice of permitting up to 32 automated strikes for fraudulent activity before banning an advertiser, a threshold CFA says enables the continued spread of scams. According to the complaint, Meta’s terms of service and community standards exaggerate the company’s protective measures, promising “appropriate action” and removal of deceptive content that the CFA claims are not fulfilled in practice.

In response, Meta issued a statement calling the allegations a misrepresentation of its work and said it would vigorously defend itself in court. The company highlighted that it removed more than 159 million scam ads last year, with 92% taken down before any user reports. Meta also noted it disabled 10.9 million accounts linked to criminal scam operations on Facebook and Instagram. A spokesperson told AARP and CBS News that fighting scams is “bad for business” and that Meta aggressively combats fraudulent activity to protect people and businesses.

Ben Winters, director of AI and data privacy at the CFA, said in a statement that Meta prioritizes profit over user safety and knowingly inflates its bottom line at the expense of consumers. The CFA is seeking to recover the profits it alleges are “illegal” under the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act on behalf of those harmed by scam ads on Meta’s platforms.

The lawsuit comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Meta’s handling of scam advertisements. A 2025 Wall Street Journal report revealed that employees had warned company leadership about the prevalence of scams but that revenue concerns prevented stronger enforcement actions. Additionally, a prior lawsuit against Meta was revived by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that Section 230 immunity does not shield the company from claims related to breaches of its terms of service. That case, initially dismissed by a trial judge, was sent back for trial, signaling continued legal challenges over Meta’s responsibility for content on its platforms.

The CFA’s complaint echoes concerns raised by other watchdog groups and media investigations regarding the persistence of scam ads on social media. YouTube reporting confirmed that the CFA filed the complaint alleging Meta knowingly allowed scam advertisements to remain active to maintain revenue streams. The outcome of this latest lawsuit could have significant implications for how social media companies regulate advertising content and address consumer protection laws in the District of Columbia and beyond.

Meta enhanced its Threads platform with new creator tools and API updates in early 2026, including reply filters, richer publishing features, and a creator hub, officials said. The changes aimed to improve content management, third-party integrations, and analytics for creators and developers across the platform.

Meta’s Threads platform introduced a suite of API enhancements in early 2026 designed to bolster third-party integrations and streamline content management, officials said. The updates enable developers to support features such as ghost posts, cross-sharing to Instagram Stories, text attachments, GIFs, spoiler tags, reply approvals, and real-time webhooks for publishing or deleting content, according to Meta for Developers documentation and company statements. These improvements facilitate advanced publishing, discovery, and moderation workflows, officials noted, aligning with Meta’s broader platform changes targeting creators.

The rollout coincided with Threads reaching 300 million active users, a milestone Meta highlighted as expanding opportunities for creators to reach broader audiences.

In addition to API upgrades, Threads rolled out new reply filters on iOS devices, offering users options to sort replies by “Top,” “Recent,” “All,” and “Following,” according to the Threads changelog and official app update logs. The reply filtering features, initially available since November 2025, saw expanded iOS-specific deployment in early 2026, allowing users greater control over managing conversations in busy threads. The update logs confirm the availability of these sorting options, which aim to reduce clutter and improve user experience.

February 2026 saw the launch of a new creator hub on Threads, which provides tips, insights, and analytics to help creators grow their presence on the platform. The hub includes enhanced analytics capabilities and integrations with Spotify-hosted podcasts, featuring profile previews and dedicated episode details, sources said.

Threads is also experimenting with community-focused features, including topic-specific communities that users can join, along with a “Live Chat” function for community engagement. Moderators can set chat names, photos, start and end dates, and control participant access, according to platform testing reports and official update notes from January and February 2026. These features remain in development, with experimentation aimed at improving moderation and fostering real-time interaction within topic-based groups.

The platform’s post creation process was streamlined to include quick-access topics and communities directly below the composer, enhancing content categorization and discovery. A new “Dear Algo” feature, launched in February 2026, allows users to influence their algorithmic feeds, while automatic thread counts such as “1/3” help users navigate multi-part posts. Topic Tags, presented as pill-style labels similar to hashtags, were introduced to highlight trending conversations. Meta encourages users to edit cross-posted Instagram content by adding relevant topics, according to recent update briefs.

Search and discovery tools on Threads received notable improvements, including a “From: username” profile search feature for precise content discovery by creator, sources confirmed. The platform is testing additional search capabilities such as date range filters, expanded trending topics, and AI-powered summaries. Enhancements to the in-app browser on iOS and modifications to post link structures to include usernames were also implemented, supporting better niche conversation discovery and follower growth, according to platform reports.

On the monetization and engagement front, Meta officials, including Adam Mosseri, acknowledged efforts to address “rage bait” posts through increased awareness and resolution strategies. Active status indicators were introduced to display user logins, promoting real-time engagement opportunities. Creator payouts, which ceased in mid-2025, have shifted toward custom monetization systems planned for 2026. Features such as reposts, quotes, and trending topics remain central to audience-building strategies. The platform is also testing default feed options allowing users to choose between “Following,” “For You,” or custom feeds.

These updates continue Meta’s iterative approach to refining Threads as a creator-focused platform, with ongoing experiments in community engagement and content moderation. The company has not announced specific launch dates for all features but tracks many as part of its January and February 2026 update cycles. As Threads evolves, Meta aims to provide developers, creators, and brands with enhanced tools to manage content and grow their audiences across its social media ecosystem.