Social Media News / August 2026

Hey bestie 🤍

There’s plenty to unpack across social media this August, between New Zealand’s ongoing under-16 social media ban debate, Instagram quietly dropping a stack of new tools, TikTok making AI transparency a bigger deal and AI becoming less of a shiny new toy and more of a permanent fixture.

We’ve also got a little Mosh news to share. Let’s just say it involves a new partnership, a very exciting next chapter and a company called Gratifii. More on that later 👀

Consider this your monthly filter for the noise. We’ve done the scrolling, so you don’t have to.

Let’s get into it.

What’s New Across Social Media?

Take a seat while we bring you up to speed on social media:

Instagram & Facebook

Instagram got a little more useful.

Instagram has been quietly adding tools that make the day-to-day life of creators and social media managers a little easier. You can now replace music on feed posts and carousels, save video drafts with your edits intact and bulk upload Reels. They’ve also rolled out a native Content Planner and a new links feature designed to make it easier to connect your Reels and accounts.

Basically, Instagram is slowly becoming its own little social media command centre.

AI is coming to your camera roll.

Instagram is also testing its own Meta AI image model. Picture built-in image generation, where you can choose from preset effects or type a prompt to create something more specific. We’re not saying the robots are taking over but they are definitely getting comfortable.

A few more updates worth knowing:

Instagram has added five new languages, bringing its total to 14, while Facebook Reels has added nine, bringing its total to 18. Facebook is also rolling out a standalone Marketplace Seller app for frequent sellers, bringing inventory, buyer messages and performance insights together in one place.

TikTok

AI transparency is getting serious.

TikTok says more than 3 billion videos have now been tagged with AI disclosures, including C2PA and invisible watermarking. Realistic AI-generated or synthetic content is increasingly expected to come with clear disclosure.

TikTok is also thinking beyond the feed. Their Community Fest and Creator Academy have been putting a big focus on LIVE, creators and community growth, while the platform continues building out its advertising and commerce ecosystem. TikTok clearly doesn’t want to be just the place you go to watch 47 videos about a pasta recipe you never intended to make. It wants to be where you discover, shop, connect and eventually spend your money too.

So, what does all of this actually mean?

Platforms are making it easier to create, manage and monetise content without ever leaving the app. For brands, that’s convenient. But there’s another piece to keep in mind: trust. Transparency is becoming a bigger part of how brands build credibility online.

Our advice? Use the shiny new tools. Just don’t let the tools become the strategy.

Is New Zealand Next?

Australia has already taken the leap, the UK has followed suit, and now New Zealand is considering whether to join them. The Government is discussing a bill that would prevent under-16s from using high-risk social media platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook. The proposed rules would put the responsibility on platforms to take reasonable steps to check users are 16+, using things like existing account information, facial age estimation or digital ID.

So where are we at?

The bill has been introduced to Parliament but it still has a way to go before it becomes law. If it does pass, the changes would put more responsibility on social platforms, with companies potentially facing fines of up to 10% of their global revenue if they don’t meet their obligations. And NZ isn’t exactly starting from scratch. Australia’s under-16 restrictions are already in place, while the UK and other countries are looking at similar measures. New Zealand has also looked closely at what Australia did when shaping its own approach.

But will New Zealand actually make the change?

That’s the bit we’re watching. The bill’s progress is still uncertain and there are plenty of questions around how effective age checks will be, how they’ll work across different platforms and what happens when young people find ways around them.

So, what do you reckon? Will Aotearoa follow Australia and the UK and bring in an under-16 social media ban, or will we take a different approach?

The Rise of Search-First Social Media

People aren’t just opening Instagram or TikTok to see what the algorithm serves them. They’re searching for restaurant recommendations, product reviews, how-to videos, local businesses and answers to very specific questions. Which means the job of your social content is changing.

Your public-facing content needs to be discoverable, useful and searchable enough to bring new people in. Then your DMs, Stories, Broadcast Channels and community spaces can help turn those people into an audience. Focus on creating searchable, high-value content that brings people in, and foster genuine conversations to keep them around.

So, how do you know what your audience is actually searching for? Start by looking at the questions they’re already asking in your comments and DMs, then use platform search bars to see what comes up. TikTok’s Creator Search Insights can also show you the terms and questions people are actively searching for, and other online tools can help uncover common questions and phrases. Use these insights to shape your content and mirror the language people are actually searching for in your captions, on-screen text and headlines.

So, before you post another piece of content just because you haven’t posted in a few days, ask yourself:

➡ Would someone actually search for this?

➡ Would someone save it?

➡ Would someone send it to a friend?

If the answer is no to all three, maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

Mosh Joins Gratifii

Big news from the Mosh team. Mosh is now officially part of Gratifii, joining the group as its social, digital and creative studio.

For us, it’s a pretty exciting next step. We’re bringing years of experience across social, content, influencer and paid campaigns into the Gratifii ecosystem. The really exciting part? Our creative work now sits alongside Gratifii’s rewards marketplace, loyalty technology and merchant network.

For our clients and partners, it’s business as usual, just with a much bigger toolkit behind us. And if you’re looking to level up your loyalty incentives, you know where to find us!

And that’s your August social media download. Catch you next month, because there’s always another update around the corner. Usually right after you’ve finally figured out the last one.

The Mosh Crew