Social Media 2 February 2026 - 6 May 2026

Discord Down Today: API Errors Hit Logins and Messages as Users Report Outage
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Discord Down Today: API Errors Hit Logins and Messages as Users Report Outage

Discord on Friday acknowledged a spike in API errors disrupting user sessions, logins, and messaging, with some left unable to connect. The company’s status page kept the incident marked as unresolved, noting the disruption was affecting portions of the service. This disruption isn’t limited to gamers using voice chat. Discord serves as the real-time communications backbone for communities, where servers, DMs, bots, and voice channels help people coordinate all day long. If the API goes down, the app still opens, but critical functions just stop working.
May 8, 2026
Reddit Mobile Website Block Sparks Backlash as App Download Prompt Freezes Browsing
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Reddit Mobile Website Block Sparks Backlash as App Download Prompt Freezes Browsing

Reddit is experimenting with a mobile-web prompt that stops certain users from viewing content unless they install its app, pushing beyond the usual app-install reminders. A spokesperson told Futurism this test targets “a small subset of frequent mobile web users,” citing data showing “the experience is much better for them in the app.” Timing is key here. Reddit last week posted first-quarter revenue of $663 million, marking a 69% jump from the same period last year. Advertising revenue climbed even faster, up 74% to $625 million. Daily active uniques—the count of unique users hitting the site or app each day—grew 17% to 126.8 million.
May 6, 2026
X Down Today: Thousands Report Twitter Outage as Feed Problems Spike
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X Down Today: Thousands Report Twitter Outage as Feed Problems Spike

X—the social platform still better known as Twitter—was hit with thousands of outage reports Tuesday as users struggled with loading feeds and timelines. Service seemed to bounce back swiftly. This outage struck where it hurts: X’s core live stream, the piece users count on. When the timeline goes down, it’s not a minor glitch. That’s the feed traders, journalists, and anyone chasing news or alerts actually watch—whether it’s sports, markets, or emergencies.
April 28, 2026
YouTube finally lets users turn off Shorts with a zero-minute feed limit
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YouTube finally lets users turn off Shorts with a zero-minute feed limit

San Francisco, April 16, 2026, 08:38 AM PDT YouTube users now have the option to set their Shorts feed limit to zero minutes in the app — essentially shutting down the short-form video feature altogether. Google’s help page confirms that zero is officially among the choices under “Shorts feed limit,” which means users can hide the Shorts tab on mobile if they want to.
April 16, 2026
YouTube Live Ads Change: Chat Surges and Fan Tips Now Trigger Ad-Free Windows
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YouTube Live Ads Change: Chat Surges and Fan Tips Now Trigger Ad-Free Windows

San Bruno, California, April 14, 2026, 11:13 AM PDT YouTube is tweaking ad delivery during livestreams: when chat traffic surges, ad breaks will pause for everyone. And users who shell out for Super Chats, Super Stickers, or gifts will unlock short ad-free stretches as a perk. The update is part of a broader rollout of livestreaming features, all designed to boost both interaction and creator payouts.
April 14, 2026
Meta Platforms opens WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots in Europe — but charges a fee
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Meta Platforms opens WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots in Europe — but charges a fee

Meta Platforms, Inc. is opening up WhatsApp in Europe to rival AI chatbots for a year, with access coming through its WhatsApp Business API—at a fee. “We believe that this removes the need for any immediate intervention,” a Meta spokesperson said. The European Commission has put Meta on notice, saying it could slap the company with interim measures—a kind of provisional order aimed at heading off “serious and irreparable harm” before antitrust officials deliver a verdict. “We must protect effective competition in this vibrant field,” said EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera as the Commission laid out its case. For its part, Meta pushed back, arguing there’s no cause for EU intervention.
March 5, 2026
Meta stock in focus: Turkey opens kids-data review of Instagram and Facebook ahead of Monday trade
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Meta stock in focus: Turkey opens kids-data review of Instagram and Facebook ahead of Monday trade

NEW YORK, Feb 22, 2026, 10:38 EST — The market has wrapped up for the day. Turkey’s data protection authority has opened a probe into how top social media platforms—among them Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook—manage children’s personal data. The regulator said it’s looking to shield children from “potential risks” online, and will review data handling and safety protocols on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X, and Discord.
February 22, 2026
AppLovin stock jumps in premarket as job post points to a new social network
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AppLovin stock jumps in premarket as job post points to a new social network

New York, February 20, 2026, 06:17 — Premarket Shares of AppLovin Corp surged 5.6% to $435 early Friday morning, building on a late-session spike following reports of its plans for a new social networking platform. The stock wrapped up Thursday at $412, up 1.9%, then gained another 4.6% in after-hours moves. Premarket action takes place before the main U.S. market opens at 9:30 a.m. ET.
February 20, 2026
AppLovin stock rises as job post hints at “next-generation” social platform
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AppLovin stock rises as job post hints at “next-generation” social platform

New York, Feb 19, 2026, 19:05 EST — After-hours AppLovin ended Thursday up 1.9%, settling around $412. After hours, the stock barely budged. A job listing on the company’s careers page hinted at plans for a “next-generation” social platform. The post seeks a “founding Backend Engineer” to develop systems designed for “millions of users.” There’s no word yet on when the project might launch.
February 20, 2026
Reddit’s leadership shake-up lands as in-app search climbs past 80 million weekly users
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Reddit’s leadership shake-up lands as in-app search climbs past 80 million weekly users

On Monday, Reddit announced Amit Puntambekar as its new executive vice president of consumer engineering. At the same time, Jim Squires was promoted to chief marketing officer, and Laura Nestler stepped up as executive vice president of community, the company said. https://redditinc.com/news/announcing-new-executive-leadership-updates-at-reddit Reddit’s leadership changes coincide with a bigger push to boost search within its app, aiming to keep users researching and making decisions without leaving the platform. This focus is crucial for its ad business, since search queries usually show stronger intent than just casual browsing.
February 11, 2026
EU charges TikTok over “addictive design” under Digital Services Act, setting up forced app changes
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EU charges TikTok over “addictive design” under Digital Services Act, setting up forced app changes

Brussels, 6 February 2026, 18:15 CET On Friday, EU regulators accused TikTok of violating the bloc’s Digital Services Act, claiming the app’s design encourages addictive behavior and poses risks to children. The Commission warned ByteDance’s platform to overhaul key features or face fines reaching up to 6% of ByteDance’s worldwide revenue.
February 6, 2026
Slovenia plans to ban under-15s from social media as Europe tightens rules on TikTok
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Slovenia plans to ban under-15s from social media as Europe tightens rules on TikTok

Slovenia is preparing draft legislation that would ban children under 15 from using social media, Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon said on Thursday. He named platforms including TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram. The step lands as European governments shift from warnings to rules, with officials arguing some platforms are built to keep teenagers hooked. Spain has proposed a ban for under-16s, while Greece is close to announcing a similar restriction for under-15s, according to Reuters reporting this week.
February 5, 2026
Supreme Court of India to WhatsApp: Stop ‘playing’ with privacy as Meta data-sharing ban looms
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Supreme Court of India to WhatsApp: Stop ‘playing’ with privacy as Meta data-sharing ban looms

On Tuesday, India’s highest court threatened to reinstate a ban on WhatsApp, owned by Meta, for sharing user data with its affiliated companies. Chief Justice Surya Kant described WhatsApp’s privacy policy as “very cleverly designed to mislead users,” two lawyers attending the hearing reported. The bench directed Meta and WhatsApp to submit an affidavit clearly stating that user data won’t be shared for advertising purposes and warned it might intervene if they fail to comply. It set a deadline, scheduling the next hearing for Feb. 9, and brought the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology into the case.
February 3, 2026
Spain targets TikTok, X and Instagram with under-16 ban plan and exec liability push in Spain
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Spain targets TikTok, X and Instagram with under-16 ban plan and exec liability push in Spain

Spain plans to introduce a bill next week aiming to hold social media executives responsible for illegal and hate speech content, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Tuesday. The government also intends to ban social media use for anyone under 16. https://www.reuters.com/world/spain-hold-social-media-executives-accountable-illegal-hateful-content-2026-02-03/?utm_source=chatgpt.com This development ramps up pressure on tech companies already under tighter scrutiny in Europe, where authorities accuse apps of designing addictive features and exposing kids to dangerous content. It comes amid the European Union’s Digital Services Act, which demands platforms crack down on illegal content, clashing with free-speech issues. The controversy reignited this month following reports that Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot produced nonconsensual sexual images, some involving minors.
February 3, 2026
Viral Moltbook Leak: Wiz Finds Exposed Messages and Credentials
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Viral Moltbook Leak: Wiz Finds Exposed Messages and Credentials

On Monday, cybersecurity firm Wiz revealed that Moltbook, a new social network designed as a hub for AI agents, had a security flaw exposing private data from thousands of real users—including email addresses and a significant stash of credentials. Ami Luttwak, Wiz’s cofounder, said the problem was patched after they informed Moltbook, blaming it on “vibe coding,” where rapid development leads to neglecting basic security measures. Wiz, soon to be acquired by Alphabet, added that the flaw also meant “There was no verification of identity,” so anyone could post, whether bot or human. Moltbook has exploded online since its launch last week, reportedly attracting over 1.5 million AI agents by Monday. The site resembles Reddit, featuring topic forums and upvoting,
February 2, 2026
X outage: Elon Musk’s platform, formerly Twitter, back after Downdetector flags thousands of U.S. reports
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X outage: Elon Musk’s platform, formerly Twitter, back after Downdetector flags thousands of U.S. reports

Elon Musk's X, once known as Twitter, went offline briefly Sunday, triggering over 19,000 outage reports from U.S. users on Downdetector, the website tracking such disruptions. The volume of reports dropped off roughly 45 minutes later, with the issue mostly cleared up by 12:04 p.m. ET. X has yet to comment on the incident. On a platform driven by real-time updates, even a brief outage can cause major disruption. Brands rely on X to respond to customers, while public agencies use it to issue alerts. When the feed goes down, conversations quickly shift to other places.
February 2, 2026
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