This week: Social networks out of sync on US election night, Instagram overtakes Facebook in Europe, Meta to check users’ ages

Welcome to the Battenhall Weekly, Edition #40

1. Social media users react to surprise election night

Some social media users were left frustrated with outdated information on US election night. Threads users noted they were seeing posts celebrating a potential Kamala Harris win, or encouraging voters to stay in queues, even as Donald Trump’s victory became clear. 🤳 TikTok’s FYF also continued to show older news, resulting in a delayed sequence of events rather than real-time updates. Some TikTok creators had fun though, transforming poll coverage into interactive livestream games. Meanwhile, X turned the ‘like’ button into a star-spangled ballot box for the night.

2. Should social media be banned?

Battenhall CEO Drew Benvie makes the case for increased social media regulation, and looks forward to seeing more from the UK’s Online Safety Act, in this podcast debate hosted by PRmoment founder Ben Smith . Check out what Drew had to say, and hear more about his predictions for social media in 2025, by signing up for Battenhall’s annual breakfast briefing in London on 28 November.

3. Facebook users drop across Europe

Instagram usage in Europe has overtaken Facebook for the first time. In its Q3 report, Meta revealed that Facebook’s EU monthly actives remains unchanged from 2023 at around 260 million, while Instagram increased to 269 million MAU from April to September 2024. Globally, however, Meta continues to dominate, with 3.29 billion MAU across its suite of apps.

4. Meta develops AI software to verify user’s age

Meta is set to roll out a new AI tool – the ‘Adult Classifier’ – to prevent teens from lying about their age. The software will analyse posts and user engagement, and automatically switch suspected accounts to teen accounts. Meanwhile, Australia is pushing ahead with plans to ban all under-16s from using social media entirely.

5. Instagram introduces filters for DMs

Creators and influencers have received a welcome boost from Instagram, with new tools to help them manage their DMs. The social platform has added a ‘Sort & Filter’ feature, which enables users to filter messages from verified accounts, businesses, other creators, subscribers and more.

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