Facebook Aims to Attract Younger Users Through Feature Refresh

Meta’s Facebook newsroom has revealed that the platform will be launching new features aimed at drawing in more young users, following a surge in daily engagement from 40 million young adults in the U.S. and Canada, the highest in over three years. The platform’s popularity has grown due to AI-recommended content, with Reels consumption up by 20%.

To capitalize on this momentum, Facebook is introducing “Local” and “Explore” tabs. The Local tab will focus on connecting users with nearby activities, groups, and marketplaces, while Explore will highlight personalized content from non-followed pages based on user interests. These tabs are currently being tested in major U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

Additionally, Facebook is rolling out a full-screen “Video” tab, similar to TikTok. The platform is also enhancing Facebook Dating with a new “Matchmaker” feature, allowing friends to help users swipe for potential matches. Messenger will receive updates too, including “Memories” (which bring up photos from past chats, similar to the existing memories features for the main feed) and topic-based “Messenger Communities” that focus on distinct topics.

Most notably, the Meta AI is also being integrated into Facebook directly, giving it even more functionality. Given that AI is still in its infancy, this integration will presumably lead to an even wider suite of AI features in the future, depending on what directions Meta decides to take the project.

Alongside this is a wide range of other small tweaks and additions, from email and SMS event invitations to AI summaries for groups and group chats. While Facebook’s future plans aren’t public yet, these may only be the first step towards a full platform overhaul.