Social Media News Round-Up: 19/03/21

Mar 19

Instagram launches new features to protect teenagers and starts working on ‘Instagram for kids’ for users under 13

Instagram is introducing new policies and features to protect teenage users on its platform. Adults will no longer be able to direct message teens who don’t follow them and the app will also warn teens who are messaging adults who have been “exhibiting potentially suspicious behaviour” - though the platform haven’t released details about how its moderation mechanisms will work or the extent of activities deemed “suspicious behaviour”. There will also be other safety prompts which inform young users to be careful sharing photos, videos or information with people they don’t know, encourage teen users to keep their profile and information private, and give them the option to report or block adults who are trying to message them.

This week, Facebook have also confirmed reports that it is working on building an ‘Instagram for kids’, which will be available to users under its current platform’s 13 years old age limit. The platform is still in its early stages so we have no details on what it might look like or how it will differ from the current version, but we’ll keep you informed on any updates!

Clubhouse officially launches its Creator Accelerator Program

Clubhouse has officially launched its Creator Accelerator Program, which is designed to “help aspiring creators on Clubhouse host amazing conversations, build their audience and monetise”. Creators can apply to before 31st March to be part of the scheme rollout - though you’ll have to stand out, as the platform is only set to accept 20 creators in its first round. Based on the questions in the application, namely asking creators which tools would be most useful for them on Clubhouse, the platform may also be looking to provide additional features to its platform.

Facebook cracks down on rule-breaking Groups and members

Facebook has announced that it will be increasing the penalties against Groups and their members breaking its rules. Civic and political groups will now be removed from Facebook’s recommendations globally and the platform will further restrict the reach of groups and members who have violated the rules, downranking them in the recommendations. Users who attempt to join groups that have a history of breaking Facebook’s Community Standards will also be alerted to the group’s violations through a warning message, encouraging them to review the group and consider if they still want to join.

Twitter is working on a dedicated Spaces tab

Twitter is continuing to develop its Clubhouse competitor Spaces feature by working on a dedicated tab for it. The new tab would improve the discovery of Spaces and maximise awareness of ongoing conversations that users can join - when tapped, the tab would take users through to a full listing of in-progress Spaces. At present, Spaces appear at the top of users’ homepages where another of Twitter’s more recent features, Fleets, currently sits.

TikTok launches new features for businesses, including a new Ads Library and automated message option

TikTok has launched two new features to help the businesses using its platform this week. The first is a new Ad Library tool, which is currently called ‘Top Ads’, that enables businesses to search for the best performing TikTok ad campaigns. The feature provides a range of search filters to navigate through the ad listings, including Ad Type, Region and Industry, to help businesses find campaigns relevant to them that have performed well and gain inspiration.

The platform has also added a new auto-reply message option for business accounts, which makes it easier for businesses to manage common queries and provide relevant information to potential customers. The set-up process enables account managers to enter relevant keywords to recognise in messages to their account, and these words will then trigger an automated response of their choice.

YouTube Shorts, the platform’s TikTok rival, has launched in the US

YouTube has jumped on the bandwagon and introduced a new TikTok-like feature to its platform called YouTube Shorts. The feature, which launched in the US this week, allows creators to record, edit and share short-form video content 60 seconds or under in length. Like with TikTok videos and Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts can be set to popular music and offers in-app editing features including speed controls and text timing capabilities. US users will now see a Shorts shelf on their YouTube homepage and app users will soon see a dedicated Shorts tab too.