Facebook is attempting to cool again for young teens as the platform sees an upsurge in young user activity lately.

Actually, according to Facebook, there are 40 million young adults who use Facebook daily across the U.S. and Canada-this marks a level that has not been seen over the past three years.

Why?

Well, overall, Facebook has seen a rise in usage on the back of its broader implementation of AI-recommended content, which is seeing all users spend more time in the app. Indeed, Reels consumption alone is up 20%, and has become a key element in the app's resurgence. 

So how can Facebook capitalise on this, and get youngsters spending more time in its foundation app?

It's rolling out a couple of new updates to help.

One is Facebook is adding new "Local" and "Explore" tabs, which incorporate content from Reels, Marketplace, Groups and Events.

The idea here is that Meta can act as a connection hub to help young people, particularly, find places to go, groups to join, and importantly, cheap stuff on Marketplace.

It focuses on college students, perhaps shifting institutions and geographies, whom Facebook becomes an excellent connector for.

Meta claims that:

"We understand that people use Facebook to stay connected with their local communities, so we're going to continue to invest in making this experience easier. We're testing an experience called "Local," where we bring the best local content in one tab across Facebook. Whether it's next activities, local groups offering free stuff or recommendations about hot spots near your place, you will find it in the new Local tab."

The dedicated tab will help develop new ways of engagement, which in turn can allow youth users to discover more suitable material.

Though not yet widely rolled out.

Meta claims that the Local tab is already being experimented with in Austin, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco and Phoenix.

So still only a handful of major U.S. cities so far.

Meta's also testing a new "Explore" tab, which will bring up content from Pages that you don't follow, but that will be tailored to your interests.
Which, if your main Facebook feed is already filled up with AI-recommended content, doesn't seem a whole heap different from the top-level experience, but Meta says that this is more specifically designed to highlight how well its systems know you.

"Explore is designed to introduce you to content that's not only entertaining but gets you into topics you care deeply about, inspiring you by real people and communities of experts, and takes you that next step. As it's unique to everyone, we utilize a wide spectrum of signals to help fuel our algorithm so your content will reflect what you're into.". Whether you're looking for time management hacks, first time abroad traveling tips, DIY tricks on how to repurpose furniture, or running groups for marathon training, the Explore tab will have even more of what you're looking for.
So if you want a gauge on just how good Meta's AI recommendations are getting, this, theoretically at least, should be the spot, though again doesn't seem like much of a leap from the current main feed.

Worth noting, however, just how TikTok-like it looks.

That's no doubt intentional, because Meta's also rolling out an updated, full-screen "Video" tab, which is basically TikTok within Facebook.
Yes, Meta is copying TikTok again, shamelessly this time, but again, with Reels capturing more interest, it makes perfect sense.

" Young adults on Facebook spend almost 60% of their time on the app watching videos, and more than half of young adults watch Reels daily.".

Facebook's also throwing a bit more love Facebook Dating's way, through a new feature called "Matchmaker, which allows you to invite up to five friends to swipe for potential matches on your behalf.
Which, honestly, sounds dreadful but then again, I'm ancient and quite far removed from the demographic target for this.

Meta says that Facebook Dating conversations increased 24% year-over-year among young adults in the US and Canada, so it is now looking to add another element to the process, in order to expand on its communal elements.

Which brings us to the next update: Meta's also looking to build in new community elements on Messenger, with "Memories," which will resurface past photos from your chats that you can re-share with your community.

Meta's also adding "Messenger Communities," essentially topic-based group chats, as well as an expansion of Notes in Messenger
It's also sending out event invites through SMS and emails, so you can include non-Facebook users, as well as AI summaries in groups.
So, essentially, Facebook is looking to outdo TikTok by showing more connective opportunities in the app. Which TikTok lacks: their focus is on showing you content, not connecting you with other users, and Facebook's looking to juice this element to make it a more valuable tool for those looking to build IRL connections.

But will that work? Well, more young people use Facebook than anything else and probably is in itself a surprise for most people, and anyway, Facebook's primary value proposition is the social graph that connects you to other actual humans.

Meta, overall, had seemed to have moved away from this element, by pumping in more recommended content, and adding in more generative AI chatbots and tools. But now, it's looking to poke a deeper hole in TikTok's veneer, by showing how helpful it can be for human connection.

And based on the numbers, maybe that'll prove to be a valuable push.