Social media updates for 2026: What you need to know

Welcome to your monthly social media updates roundup! 

As we move into 2026, platforms continue evolving with new features, policy shifts, and tech improvements that affect users, creators, and brands alike. Here’s what you need to know to power your social media strategy and stay in the know.

February 2026

Meta tests new premium AI feature subscriptions (Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp)

Update: Meta announced that it’s testing premium subscription plans across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp that will offer expanded AI-powered tools and enhanced features beyond what free accounts get, including creative and productivity enhancements.

Why it matters: Moving AI capabilities behind paid plans signals an evolving monetization strategy for social platforms, where advanced features might no longer be fully free, potentially impacting how creators, brands, and everyday users adopt AI tools.

Source: The Verge 

Instagram expands “Your Algorithm” controls & manual topic tuning

Update: Instagram rolled out its “Your Algorithm” controls globally to English-speaking users, letting people manually fine-tune what appears in their Reels and feed based on interests and topic preferences.

Why it matters: Giving users more control over algorithmic recommendations reflects a broader trend of platforms responding to demands for personalization and transparency, helping users see more of what matters to them.

Source: Adam Mosseri via Threads 

LinkedIn adds AI-powered conversational search

Update: LinkedIn launched AI-powered conversational search, allowing users (initially Premium members in the U.S.) to use natural language phrases like “find experts in regulatory tech in Berlin” to find people, posts, and pages without relying on traditional filters.

Why it matters: This significantly modernizes professional discovery and networking, shifting a core function from rigid filters to intuitive language, and hints at how AI is reshaping search across social platforms.

Note: The rollout may still be phased by region and subscription tier.

Source: Social Media Today 

TikTok updates U.S. privacy policy following corporate restructuring

Update: TikTok introduced an updated U.S. privacy policy following the creation of its new U.S.-based corporate entity. The changes clarify how TikTok collects and uses certain types of data, including location information (when enabled by users) and interactions with AI-powered features, as part of broader efforts to align with regulatory expectations and improve transparency.

Why it matters: As platforms evolve their AI capabilities and operate under increasing regulatory scrutiny, clearer disclosures around data use help set expectations for users, partners, and advertisers, while supporting TikTok’s continued operation and growth in the U.S. market.

Source: Wired 

Pinterest launches built-in Media Planner to simplify campaign planning

Update: Pinterest introduced a new Media Planner tool directly within its Ads Manager, designed to streamline the creation and modelling of brand awareness and consideration campaigns. The tool lets advertisers explore audiences, estimate key metrics (like impressions, reach, CPM, clicks, and CPC), and model different budget and scenario outcomes — all without needing external tools or spreadsheets. Planners can also save and share campaign plans with collaborators.

Why it matters: This gives advertisers and brands a more centralized and intuitive way to plan and forecast their Pinterest campaigns, improving efficiency and strategic oversight. By consolidating audience insights, budget projections, and scenario modelling into one place, Media Planner helps teams make better-informed decisions and optimize spend, which is especially valuable as Pinterest expands its advertising ecosystem.

Source: Pinterest 

January 2026

Instagram on authentic vs AI content

Update: Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri shared on Threads that as AI-generated content becomes more realistic and widespread, the platform may need to rethink how it handles trust and authenticity, potentially labeling real human content and using signals beyond simple AI tags to help users know what’s genuine.

Why it matters: This highlights how social platforms are preparing for an era where distinguishing real from synthetic media becomes increasingly difficult and could change how content is surfaced and trusted.

Source: The Verge

LinkedIn – AI search enhancements

Update: LinkedIn has launched AI-powered conversational search functionality that lets users type natural language search queries like “find people with these skills/role combinations.”

LinkedIn’s Senior Director of Product Management confirmed the AI search experience rolling out to Premium users in the U.S., with broader rollout expected soon. 

Why it matters: LinkedIn is enhancing how professional discovery works using conversational language, a shift toward AI-driven networking and search.

Note: LinkedIn has not posted a formal press release URL of this announcement in its official newsroom at the time of this writing. The reporting above is from tech news sources with verified quotes from LinkedIn leadership.

Source: TechRadar

Meta tests charges for Business Pages posting links

Update: Meta is testing limits on how often business Pages and professional accounts can post external links on Facebook. Some non-Meta Verified accounts are reportedly restricted to just two link posts per month unless they subscribe to Meta Verified.

Why it matters: This signals a potential shift toward monetizing organic link distribution, which could significantly impact brands that rely on Facebook for referral traffic.

Note: Meta has confirmed this is a limited test affecting a small group of accounts, and no formal rollout timeline has been announced.

Source: Social Media Today

France’s proposed social media age restrictions

Update: France’s government presented a bill proposing a ban on social media access for children under age 15, expected to be debated in early 2026. This is a legal/regulatory development affecting platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and others.

Why it matters: While not an announcement from the platforms themselves, this is a significant regulatory development that platforms will need to implement and respond to in 2026.

Source: Le Monde

TikTok takes more action to protect shoppers from fraud

Update: TikTok is stepping up enforcement to protect its in-app shoppers, expanding its Intellectual Property Removal Request reporting, ramping up proactive takedowns, and removing millions of pieces of content tied to counterfeit or fraudulent goods as part of broader marketplace safety efforts.

Why it matters: Enhanced safety measures help build trust in TikTok Shop, improve the shopping experience, and support continued growth of social commerce on the platform.

Source: Social Media Today

Stay tuned for more updates next month. If you’re not already subscribed and want these updates delivered straight to your inbox, be sure to subscribe below.