Social Media Services:

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? Too bad you can’t moderate a conscience. In court this week, The Capitol Forum reported that federal antitrust prosecutors accused Meta of limiting its community standards enforcement on Instagram despite knowing that the platform was housing child pornography, illegal drug sales, and nonconsensual sexual material. Even more, they allege Meta recommended minors to “groomer” accounts known to exhibit predatory behavior towards children. 

• Prosecutors accuse Meta of acquiring and then illegally stifling Instagram in favor of its firstborn Facebook, including by limiting staffing on its content moderation team. Meta argues it didn’t neglect Instagram — even as Meta spent billions on stock buybacks that could have instead solved Instagram’s problems.

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? Meta wants to offer advertisers the ability to create and target their ads entirely using AI, The Wall Street Journal reports.

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?️ Where public media cuts hit hardest

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

The gutting of federal funding for public broadcasters is expected to cause hundreds of local station groups across the country to significantly scale back operations or shutter, Axios Media Trends author Sara Fischer writes. Why it matters: Those stations are often in rural places where there isn't any other local news source. While the cuts are meant to target NPR and PBS, the national organizations won't feel much of the impact. NPR and PBS nationally are mostly funded by nongovernment sources, such as corporate sponsorships or viewer/listener donations. Only around 1% and 15% of NPR's and PBS' national revenue comes through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, whose funding was slashed by Congress. But local member stations depend on CPB funding, and they're the ones that will be most heavily impacted. Keep reading.

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Instagram’s ‘deliberate design choices’ make it unsafe for teens despite Meta promises, report says

Despite years of congressional hearings, lawsuits, academic research, whistleblowers and testimony from parents and teenagers about the dangers of Instagram, Meta’s wildly popular app has failed to protect children from harm, with “woefully ineffective” safety measures, according to a new report from former employee and whistleblower Arturo Bejar and four nonprofit groups.

https://apnews.com/article/instagram-teens-safety-meta-bejar-13276348cde2dcc1ee94c66227ea25dc?

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? Meta is slashing hundreds of jobs from its AI unit, even as it continues to hire for a newer AI division. CEO Mark Zuckerberg grew concerned several months ago that the company's existing AI efforts weren't leading to sufficient breakthroughs, Axios' Ina Fried reports.

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? America's social media shift

Data: Pew Research Center. (Survey was conducted by phone only in 2021, and by web, mail and phone in 2025.) Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Americans' social media habits are splintering in ways that echo the fractured traditional news landscape, Axios Communicators author Eleanor Hawkins writes. Why it matters: The same fragmentation that reshaped news is now reshaping social media, making it harder for companies, brands and public figures to reliably reach large swaths of the public. Pew Research Center surveyed more than 5,000 U.S. adults and found that YouTube (84%), Facebook (71%) and Instagram (50%) remain the most widely used social platforms. The number of X users in the U.S. has decreased since 2021. Reddit has seen an uptick. ? Zoom in: YouTube remains the most widely used platform among U.S. teens and those between the ages of 18-29 (95%) and 30-49 (92%), though TikTok is on the rise. 63% of those under 30 use the short-form video platform regularly, and roughly half say they go on TikTok at least once a day. A majority of those under 30 (58%) are also active on Snapchat.

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• ? Spotify is upping the cost of its ad-free premium option by a dollar, to $12.99/month. Go deeper.

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Social media trial

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg will face grieving families today when he takes the stand in a landmark social media addiction trial in Los Angeles. He will testify for the first time before a jury on claims that his platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have harmed young users by making the apps intentionally addictive. In the courtroom will be parents and families from across the US who say their children were harmed — or even died — as a result of social media. The case could set a precedent for holding social media companies responsible for potentially dangerous design decisions, after years of tech giants fending off lawsuits under Section 230, the law that shields them from liability for user content.

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Mark Zuckerberg quizzed on kids’ Instagram use in social media trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received about being “authentic” and not “robotic.”

https://apnews.com/article/mark-zuckerberg-trial-testimony-instagram-c8cbaa32ccbf4933ec3a7beebd6cf34b?

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🤖 Meta scoops up Moltbook

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Meta has acquired Moltbook, a viral social network designed for AI agents, Axios' Ina Fried scoops. The deal brings Moltbook creators Matt Schlicht and Ben Parr into Meta Superintelligence Labs. 💵 Meta didn't disclose Moltbook's purchase price. The deal is expected to close mid-March, Meta says, with the pair starting at MSL on March 16. 👩‍💻 A Meta representative tells Axios: "The Moltbook team joining MSL opens up new ways for AI agents to work for people and businesses." What is Moltbook?

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🥑 Meta delays model, eyes layoffs

Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, Calif., in September. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images Meta's high-stakes new foundational AI model, code-named avocado, has been delayed at least a few weeks from its expected release this month. Why it matters: The model's release is hotly anticipated by rivals and investors after Mark Zuckerberg unleashed NBA-like compensation to lure AI engineering talent. The model has had mixed results in internal testing, according to The New York Times, which first reported the delay. The model "outperformed Meta's previous AI model and did better than Google's Gemini 2.5 model from March [2025] ... But it has not performed as strongly as Gemini 3.0 from November," The Times said (gift link). Mark Zuckerberg said on a Meta earnings call in January to look for the new model over "coming months": "In '25 we rebuilt the foundations of our AI program. Over the coming months we're going to start shipping our new models and products. I expect our first models will be good — but, more importantly, will show the rapid trajectory that we're on. And then I expect us to steadily push the frontier over the course of the year as we continue to release new models." In another sign of Meta's hurdles, the company is considering sweeping layoffs as AI investments mount. Reuters said the layoffs, with no size decided, could affect 20% or more of the company, which employed 80,000 people at the end of 2025. Meta's Andy Stone told Axios that's "speculative reporting about theoretical approaches." ps:Giving billions to trump and he thought he'd get a free ride?? Now he has to lay off to compensate for his stupidity, just the others!!!!!

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Refresh your Instagram diet

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Instagram, the highly visual platform that once revolved around your friends' espresso drinks and vacation photos, now feels packed with influencers you've never met and recommendations you didn't ask for, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. Why it matters: Cleaning up your Instagram account redirects you to content from people and posts you actually care about. It's not about missing out; it's about reclaiming your attention. Some of your options: ➡️ Quick fix: Switch to the "Following" feed by clicking the Instagram logo at the top of your screen when you open the app. You'll have to toggle to it each time you open the app, but it'll only show you posts from those you follow — the closest you can get to an algorithm-free feed. 🗑️ Gradual cleanup: Start tapping the "…" and hitting "Not Interested" whenever you see a garbage post, whether it's fake news, rage bait or influencers. This will slowly declutter your feed. 👥 Check on what you're engaging with: Go to your profile, tap "Following," then "Least Interacted With." You'll see accounts you haven't engaged with in a while, and you can quickly unfollow from there. 🧪 Try a social experiment: You've probably noticed a growing number of "suggested" posts — content from accounts you don't follow but that Instagram thinks you'll like. You can temporarily turn these off. When a suggested post appears, tap the "…" and select "Snooze Suggested Posts for 30 Days." Then see how it feels to live outside the algorithm for a month. 🎯 Be your own algorithm: For a more extreme reset, switch to the "Favorites" feed by tapping the Instagram logo. Curate a list of just close friends and family whose posts you want to see. Their posts will even appear in chronological order — just like social media used to be. The bottom line: A few small switches can turn down the noise and bring back the people you actually care about. Start there.

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Avoid YouTube slop

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

YouTube is now flooded with engagement bait and AI-generated content — often recycled, repackaged and optimized for clicks, Axios' Herb Scribner writes. Why it matters: The more you watch passively, the more the platform assumes you want the same. If you want better recommendations, you have to interrupt the cycle. Here are several ways to clean up your feed — some gradual, some drastic: 🚫 1. Remove, remove, remove: This is YouTube's simplest fix. Click the three dots next to a video and select "Not interested" or "Don't recommend channel." Over time, this trains the algorithm away from content you don't want. ⏸️ 2. Hit pause: You can pause your watch history to prevent your algorithm from recommending anything tied to your past viewings. Go to "Settings," then "Manage all history," then "Controls." From there, turn off "Include the YouTube videos you watch." Newly watched videos won't be added to your history — or shape your feed. ✨ 3. Inspire the feed: This is a more tedious route. Watch more of what you actually want to see. The more you consistently watch videos on certain topics, the more YouTube will recommend them. 🔚 4. Just log out: Simply log out of your YouTube account and return as a "guest," which is especially useful on the TV app. Search for the videos you want from a clean slate. The app may still recommend items based on what you watch as a guest. But a few intentional searches can quickly reshape that new feed. 🗑️ 5. The nuclear option: Delete everything. Head to "Settings," then "Manage all history." Click "Delete" and then "Delete all time." Your watch and search history is gone, your algorithm resets and you start fresh. The bottom line: YouTube gives you more of what you watch, whether it's high or low value. Starve the junk. Focus on content that serves you.

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Reset your Facebook reality

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios

Facebook has shaped political discourse, family dynamics and entire news cycles for years. Its algorithm reflects years of your clicks, relationships and habits, so your feed may be showing you a version of the world built from your past, Axios' Herb Scribner writes. Why it matters: Facebook doesn't have to be a pit of despair and rage bait. You can reset it. And it's never too late to start. Here's how to fix your feed: 😴 Snooze and unfollow: Facebook allows you to hide people you follow or "Snooze" their content. Tap the "..." next to a post you don't enjoy and you'll find a number of options to hide that post, snooze the poster, hide all content from that user or unfollow them altogether. 🔧 Adjust your preferences: Over the political content? You can dial it back. Go to "Settings & privacy," then "Content preferences," where you can reduce the amount of political and sensitive content in your feed. It's also where you can fine-tune who and what you see. 📄 Remove the pages: This takes a little more elbow grease, but it helps. Go through the Pages you follow and simply unfollow the ones you don't care about anymore. That will likely cut down on posts from random fan clubs and those "I like this hobby" pages that were popular in the mid-2000s, but less relevant now. 🚫 Hide ads and posts: Ads clutter your feed. Click the "..." on unwanted ads and select "Hide ad" or "Hide post" to gradually train your algorithm. 🔄 Refresh your feed: Not liking what you see? Pull down on your mobile phone screen while in Facebook to instantly refresh. New posts should load, giving you something different to scroll. 🧽 Delete the junk: You can clear what off-platform material Facebook uses for your recommendations. Head to "Settings," then "Off-Facebook activity" to remove data from other websites. The bottom line: Your Facebook feed is a time capsule of your past clicks. It doesn't have to define your present.

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• 🚫 Meta has begun removing ads from attorneys seeking clients who claim to have been harmed by social media while under 18, Axios' Dan Primack scoops. Go deeper.

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Meta raises specter of shutting down service to New Mexico in legal clash over child safety

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Meta is raising the prospect of shutting down its social media services in New Mexico in response to a push by state prosecutors for fundamental changes to the company’s platforms, including Instagram, to protect the mental health and safety of children.

https://apnews.com/article/meta-new-mexico-trial-facebook-instagram-9b3d0594dcf48495469d7441c17e2e10?