Hello, geeks!

It’s been another week of courtroom drama.

Zuckerberg took the stand in the US addiction trial, swapping out the trendy t-shirt and gold chain combo for a power suit…

…And braced himself for difficult questions.

He spent hours arguing Meta prioritises usefulness over addiction, and hinting that maybe Apple should be the one policing teen safety.

If you were hoping for a live-streamed Zuck courtroom showdown… bad luck.

No cameras. No smart-glasses POV. Just his testimony.

In this week’s Geekout, I unpack what we learned — including former Meta insiders contradicting the “we’re the good guys” narrative.

And why Meta’s greatest strength (growth at all costs) might also be its biggest liability.

_________

‘Escapism’… with my teen daughter 💃🏻

RAYE at Co-Op Live in Manchester

While Zuckerberg was defending Meta in court, I was defending my credit card in Manchester.

My daughter convinced me to take her to see RAYE at Co-Op Live arena.

I thought I was attending a gig.

Turns out, I was there as her…

  • 🤳🏻 Personal photographer / content creator

  • 🧥 Human coat rack

  • 🍹 Snack and drink butler

  • 💵 Mobile wallet

She screamed every lyric.

I nodded enthusiastically at the three songs I recognised.

👀 Watch my IG highlight of the night

__________

P.S. 2 cool things…

__________

P.P.S. Can you help take Geekout Newsletter to the next level?

Check out the bottom of this week’s Geekout for details 👇

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…The hottest headlines in social this week:

Mark Zuckerberg testifies in social media addiction trial that Meta just wants Instagram to be 'useful'

  1. Meta is planning to launch a smartwatch later this year [APPLE WATCH-ING]

  2. TikTok’s new Local Feed sparks privacy concerns and opt-out confusion [TRACKING]

  3. EU privacy watchdog launches ‘large-scale’ probe into Elon Musk’s X over sexualised AI images [POLICING]

  4. Tech firms must remove ‘revenge porn’ in 48 hours or risk being blocked in the UK [THREATENING]

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…Zuck’s day in court

Zuckerberg grilled in landmark social media trial over teen mental health

His testimony might not have been explosive, but the very fact he took the stand at all shows how times have changed for social media companies.

The age of accountability is finally here, with actual trials rather than often lame-duck hearings on Capitol Hill the order of the day.

Zucks’ overall line of argument was that Meta just wants Instagram to be useful, rather than addictive.

Following the Meta point of view that it’s app stores, not apps, that should control the safety of minors, Zuck slipped in that he had previously reached out to Apple’s Tim Cook to discuss ‘wellbeing of teens and kids’.

The whole thing might have been more of an online spectacle if live-streamed video had been allowed, but the presiding judge made clear it was very much NOT. That’s even via Meta’s own smart glasses, which some of Zuck’s team in court were wearing.

But for all the gloss Zuck tried to put on Meta’s approach, there’s nothing like a jaded former employee to put a dampener on the spin. Former Meta VP Brian Boland told jurors at landmark US trial that the company incentivised drawing teens in despite the risks.

He also noted that Zuck never called for a “lockdown” for safety, only for growth, and that company priorities were “winning growth and engagement.”

This might be true, but the impact of Boland’s testimony was somewhat softened when it turned out he wasn’t directly involved with youth safety at Meta.

Still, regardless of how this trial plays out, there’s no doubting that a relentless push for growth at all costs is Meta’s greatest strength… and it’s biggest weak point.

Other interesting tidbits we learned from the California trial this week:

  • Meta found a chatbot failed to protect minors from sexual exploitation nearly 70% of the time, so they didn’t launch it

  • Meta’s own research found parental supervision doesn’t really help curb teens’ compulsive social media use

…Platform news you need to know this week…

Meta   Meta  /  Facebook  Facebook

Facebook’s new ‘Thoughts’ sticker for Stories | Credit: @ahmedghanem

  • Facebook is testing a new ‘Thoughts’ sticker for Stories, which hides all text in a story until followers tap to reveal it

  • Meta’s own research found parental supervision doesn’t really help curb teens’ compulsive social media use

  • Meta’s signed a deal with Nvidia to buy up millions of AI chips

  • ⁠Meta’s ‘Phoenix’ XR smart glasses might need you to carry a puck device to help handle all its computing needs

  • Meta is spending $65 million to boost US political candidates who support AI growth

    …meanwhile, Meta says it has spent $30 billion to protect US Midterm election integrity

  • Meta is updating its Graph API to align with its shift toward views as the primary metric

  • Messenger introduced a Notifications tab that shows updates like birthdays, login activity, notes, and friend suggestions

__________

Instagram  Instagram  /   Threads  Threads

Instagram screenshot protection | Credit: @ahmedghanem

  • Instagram has been spotted rolling out screenshot protection for one-time view media after a previous test of the feature

  • Instagram will soon allow you to Add interests to your profile

  • Instagram is rolling out a new look for the post description and comment section

  • Instagram now allows users to reply to users outside the inbox

  • Instagram is adding icons to business ads to help users distinguish them from ads run by personal accounts

  • Instagram’s chief of celebrity partnerships has been poached by OpenAI

  • Threads added a basketball mini-game tying into the NBA All-Star Weekend

  • Threads is working on the ability to pin chats in DMs

  • Threads is working on the ability to choose whether to receive replies to Ghost Posts under the post itself instead of in your DMs

  • Threads now shows a preview before you share a post as an Instagram Story

  • Threads added a ‘Get Support’ option for receiving support from experts or friends if a user is upset by content they reported

__________

 WhatsApp  WhatsApp

WhatsApp rolls out Group Message History | Credit: Meta

__________

X / Twitter  X (Twitter)

X’s new immersie, vertical video player rolls out | Credit: X

__________

TikTok  TikTok

TikTok launches new Apple Music powered features | Credit: 9to5mac.com

  • TikTok is testing Apple Music-powered full-song streaming directly in the app, and a new ‘Listening Party’ feature

  • TikTok retained 95% of US users despite fears over ownership and censorship changes, according to Sensor Tower

  • TikTok has been spotted offering a ‘manage personalised feeds’ option

  • TikTok US has reversed its plan to end independent shipping for sellers after strong merchant pushback

  • TikTok signed up to the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA) as a digital member

  • TikTok Shop’s latest updates add new power tools for sellers and creators, like auto sample approvals and influencer recommendations

  • TikTok’s In The Mix podcast series has released a new episode starring “Emo Cowgirl” Megan Moroney

__________

YouTube  YouTube

YouTube expands its Jewel livestream donation feature | Credit: YouTube

  • ⁠YouTube is expanding its Jewels livestream donation option to Canada and improving its editing tools for Shorts

  • YouTube’s latest anti–ad blocker action blocks comments and descriptions entirely

  • YouTube is rolling out AI that analyses creators, content, and audiences to matches brands with creators most likely to drive sales

  • YouTube is bringing its conversational AI assistant to smart TVs

  • In the UK, the TV has replaced laptops, tablets and smartphones as the most common way for viewers to watch YouTube at home

__________

Snapchat  Snapchat  /  LinkedIn  LinkedIn  /  Pinterest  Pinterest

Snapchat launches paid creator subscriptions | Credit: Snap

  • Snapchat is launching paid creator subscriptions in the US, giving fans exclusive content, priority replies, and ad-free Stories.

    …But creators only keep 60% of the revenue vs. 70% on YouTube and 100% on Instagram.

  • Snapchat+ now has 25 million subscribers

  • Snapchat rebranded Lens Studio as Easy Lens, with a new logo

  • The Louvre and Snap’s AR Studio Paris released an AR experience that restores ancient artworks to how they originally looked.

  • LinkedIn is cracking down on engagement pods pumping out automated, low-quality comments to boost each others posts

  • LinkedIn released a series of comedy ads to promote Premium subscriptions

  • Discord reversed its promise that age verification selfies never leave the device

  • Bluesky has integrated tech from a startup called Germ Network to support end-to-end encrypted DMs

  • Pinterest has called internal ‘Code Reds’ to revive growth amid a thread to its business from AI

  • Pinterest’s first gaming partnership helps World of Warcraft players design personalised homes using curated moodboards

  • Mastodon wants to attract creators with easier onboarding, better profiles, and more

  • Apple’s Podcasts app will soon let you ‘seamlessly’ switch between audio and video shows

__________

🔥 Want to see more hot NEW features spotted in the wild this week?

Just head to the ‘More news’ section below!

🤖 SOCIAL AI

The newest social media AI features spotted this week:

Reddit is getting smarter about product discovery.

It’s testing a new AI search tool that matches community recommendations with shopping and advertising partners.

Reddit is testing a new AI search feature for shopping

__________

Also spotted this week 👀

  • Meta confirmed reporting late last week that it is considering facial recognition in its smart glasses

  • Meta activated its recently-acquired Manus AI inside Ads Manager to automate tasks for advertisers

  • Meta is adding shortcuts for Manus AI on Facebook and Instagram

  • Meta is testing a new Override mode for its AI models in the Meta AI iOS app

  • TikTok Shop is expanding access to its Seller Assistant AI chatbot

  • xAI added a new “Share conversation” feature on Grok’s iOS app, letting you to share part of a conversation as a clip

  • xAI’s Grok 4.20 Beta is now live inside the Grok app

  • xAI’s Grok is being added to Tesla cars in the UK and EU

  • ByteDance released Doubao 2.0, a major upgrade to the AI model aimed at the coming “agent era”

🚫 GOTTA BAN ‘EM ALL!

Who wants to ban teens from social media this week?

These are the countries moving to ban social media for teens

Australia was the first country to issue a ban in late 2025, aiming to reduce the pressures and risks that young users may face on social media, including cyberbullying, social media addiction, and exposure to predators.

  • 🇺🇸 California Governor Newsom has backed plans for social media restrictions for teens under-16 [Politico]

  • 🇮🇪 Ireland plans to introduce a social media ban for under-16s as part of a major online safety push. [Irish Examiner]

  • 🇪🇸 Spain has ordered a probe into X, TikTok and Meta over alleged AI-generated child abuse images. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • 🇮🇳 India is discussing age-based social media curbs, the country’s IT minister says. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • 🇩🇪 Germany is pushing forward on strict social-media limits for under-16s. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • 🇬🇧 The UK, Denmark, France, Greece, Malaysia, and Slovenia are also working on their own teen social media ban plans [TechCrunch]

However…

  • ⚠️ The evidence linking social media to teen mental health problems? Still messy, mixed, and far from settled [The Economist]

💀 LOL

🌡️ VIRAL

ByteDance has really upset Hollywood with its latest AI model.

Studios like Paramount, Warner Bros, and Netflix have united against what Disney described as a “smash-and-grab” AI video engine, able to infringe IP convincingly.

It was this viral video that really crystallised the problem: what would Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting in an action movie look like? ByteDance makes it easy to find out…

🪧 BRANDS

YouTube has revealed the top ad campaigns for this year’s Super Bowl.

e.l.f. Cosmetics came out on top for engagement with this Melissa McCarthy comedy skit….

__________

More brand talk:

👀 MY FAV READS

You can be an influencer anywhere these days. Even in an orange jumpsuit.

“For bold-faced convicts from Elizabeth Holmes to Harvey Weinstein, social media and sympathetic podcasts offer hope of relevance (and redemption).”

The Rise of the Celebrity “Prison-fluencer”

🙊 WHAT DID YOU SAY?!

"I’m actually well known to be sort of bad at this"

– Mark Zuckerberg admits in court that he has a reputation for coming across really badly under scrutiny

__________

Also overheard this week: 👂

  • "There’s not a moral algorithm, that’s not a thing... [It] doesn’t eat, doesn’t sleep, doesn’t care."

    --

    - Former Meta VP Brian Boland testifying against his ex-employer at the California social media trial

    __________

  • “It’s hard to imagine a worse time to launch a massive new facial recognition database in the United States, particularly given the likelihood that Meta will be compelled to turn the data over to law enforcement and immigration officials.”

    -

    – Journalist Casey Newton on news that Meta could add facial recognition to its smart glasses

    __________

  • “There are organisations… who are worried that a ban wouldn’t solve the problem because it would just force some of this stuff deeper [into the dark web], that the children would try and get around it, that it would create a cliff edge at 16. So I think it is the right and responsible thing to do to have a consultation.”

    -

    – UK technology secretary Liz Kendall says a UK teen social ban isn’t inevitable

    __________

  • “The world should watch carefully and resist the urge to rush to premature and performative measures. Australia has taken an experimental step, but we won’t know whether it’s the right step for some time. Young people’s health and safety are too important to act on intuition or fear alone.”

    -

    – Snap CEO Evan Spiegel warns governments not to rush into following Australia’s social media ban

__________

  • “⁠Having no clue about how their algorithm is made, how it’s tested, trained and where it will guide you — the democratic consequences of this bias could be huge…

    “Free speech is pure bullshit if nobody knows how you are guided to this so-called free speech, especially when it is guided from one hate speech to another.”

    -

    – French president Emmanuel Macron blasts social platforms that claim they’re pro ‘free speech’

😮 WTF?!

This is WILD!…

The US wants to fight other governments’ sovereign right to block certain content online.

A new US government portal launching soon “will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their governments including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda,” Reuters reports. 🤯

US plans online portal to bypass content bans in Europe and elsewhere

__________

Also WTF this week: 👀

📲 NEW APP

Synchrony, launched yesterday, is billed as a social app created especially for neurodivergent adults.

It promises to help you “meet people who are in sync with your interests and expand your community.”

Fast Company has more details here.

Synchrony: Social App for Neurodivergent Adults to Connect

🪦 RIP

Social media features heading to the grave:

Meta really seems to be scaling down Messenger as a standalone entity.

After the recent closure of its desktop apps, the web version will close on 15 April.

After that, you’ll have to stick to the Messenger mobile apps… or that messy little chat box on the Facebook web app.

Meta is shutting down Messenger's standalone website

_________

Also:

🧪 SOCIAL SCIENCE

Research that makes sense of social media:

I think we knew this anyway, but…

New research supports the idea that the X algorithm pushes you to lean more conservative over time.

No wonder Elon and Don look happy in this photo…

X's Algorithm Pushes Users to Lean More Conservative, Researchers Find

_________

Also:

👔 YOU’RE HIRED!

Hot new social media jobs worth checking out this week:

Lululemon is looking for a Social Media Specialist [Vancouver, BC, Canada]

__________

More top social media jobs spotted this week 💼

👌 PRO TIPS

⁠Looking to make more use of Reddit? The platform has shared new insights into effective marketing approaches, and how brands are driving success.

Reddit Reveals the Latest Trends Driving Brand Engagement

__________

More NEW pro-tips worth checking out this week ✨

📊 SOCIAL STATS

$1 BILLION

– Snap’s annualised revenue run rate, driven by the success of Snapchat+

__________

Even more social stats: 📈

  • PERFECT LENGTH: YouTube data shows 1–3 minute videos dominate with a 2.5% engagement rate, the 3–5 minute range collapses to 0.8%, while engagement rises again to 1.7% for 10+ minute videos

  • SPOTTED?: 94% of U.S. adults says believe they encounter content that was created or altered by AI, but only 44% are confident they can spot AI-generated content

📈 CHARTED

YouTube vs the rest on American TV screens

YouTube stayed the top streaming platform in January with a 12.5% share, far ahead of Netflix’s 8.8%.

__________

Even more social charts: 📈

💥 EVEN MORE SOCIAL MEDIA NEWS & UPDATES

Homeland Security Wants Social Media Sites to Expose Anti-ICE Accounts

The department has sent Google, Meta and other companies hundreds of subpoenas for information on accounts that track or comment on Immigration and Customs Enforcement, officials and tech workers said.

_________

Also this week… 🚨

  • UK PM Keir Starmer announced a series of measures to restrict the harms ministers believe online platforms are causing to children who use them. [The Guardian]

  • Facebook’s new content monetisation program is booming, and Indonesian creators are leading the charge. [Rest of World]

  • Creators increasingly view Snapchat as the most stable monetisation platform. [Digiday]

  • A federal judge has blocked OpenAI from using “Cameo” for its AI video-generation feature. [LA Times]

  • More than 40 parents gathered outside Snap’s HQ, honouring 108 children they say died after harms linked to Snapchat. [LA Times]

  • AppLovin plans to make its own social platform after failed TikTok bid. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • A New Mexico undercover probe exposed a banned sex offender operating 15 Meta accounts undetected. [Washington Post $$$]

  • Meta is putting restrictions on internal use of OpenClaw over security fears. [Wired $$$]

  • ByteDance is hiring nearly 100 AI roles in the US as it expands its Seed division. [Bloomberg $$$]

  • Creator management company Night has raised $70m to expand beyond creator management into gaming, music, sports, and live events. [The Hollywood Reporter]

New features and updates:

  • Facebook is testing a more compact UI for the 'Notifications tab. [@oncescuradu]

  • Threads is testing a new icon for the Direct Messages tab. [@oncescuradu]

  • Threads has been spotted giving the activity tab a visual tweak. [@oncescuradu]

📰 WEEKEND READS

Geekout’s pick of the best longer reads to sink into over the weekend:

Altered Beast?

“Between a new fintech app and his Amazon TV show, Jimmy Donaldson now treats his YouTube channel like a funnel for other ventures.”

In 2026, Mr. Beast doesn't want you to watch his YouTube videos anymore

__________

More great weekend reads:

😳 AND FINALLY…

YouTube is over 20 years old. That’s a long time on the internet.

Now its first ever video upload, from April 2005, is a museum piece. And you can visit it if you can get to London.

“Me at the zoo” is now on display at the V&A’s Design 1900-Now Gallery, which examines innovative artifacts from the past 120 years.

“To put its newly-acquired video in the proper context, the V&A took a trip into the Wayback Machine to dig up the front-end code for YouTube’s original user interface. Curators even accented the exhibit with contemporaneous banner ads from 2006.”

YouTube's first video belongs in a museum. Now it's in one.

📅 BACK NEXT WEEK…

Your social media news debriefing is done. ✅

But before you go…

Can you help take Geekout Newsletter to the next level…?

I launched Geekout in 2019 as a side project, with no experience of creating a newsletter.

Now, 6 years later, it’s read by 30,000+ social media and marketing professionals.

And trusted by teams managing social for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Netflix, Disney, TikTok, and Apple.

But can you help me take it to the next-level?

If you want to feature in Geekout, or have smart ideas to help it grow… I’d love to speak to you.

I’m looking for people who can…

  • Write opinionated hot takes on the big stories social media managers are talking about

  • Optimise Geekout Newsletter for growth e.g. sign up flows, automations, website optimisations, design tweaks etc

  • Build engaging, high converting social ads to help even more people discover Geekout

    …And more!

Interested? Get in touch! Just hit reply or drop me an email.

Goodbye, geeks!

P.S. This newsletter is edited by Martin SFP Bryant

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