Social Media News / July 2026

Hello there,

We have been watching the feeds closely this July so you don’t have to 👀 Instagram is trialling editable Stories alongside a new Series feature and an optional Instagram Plus subscription, while TikTok is bringing voice notes into its DMs. The debate around under-16 social media bans has flared up again as the UK follows Australia’s lead 🛑 We are also breaking down a cheat sheet of July’s latest trends so you know which ones are worth jumping on, before giving you a look behind the scenes of our latest winter campaign with Comvita 🌿

Think of this as your monthly social summary. Let’s get into it ✨

Fresh Updates Across the Platforms

The apps have been busy behind the scenes. We’ve collected everything you may have missed to keep you in the loop:

• Instagram is developing Editable Stories, giving users the chance to fix typos, tags, or stickers after posting. It’s still in testing but if it launches, editing a Story will remove the original and reset its engagement metrics ✏️

• Instagram has also begun rolling out Instagram Plus, an optional subscription that unlocks extra features like 48-hour Stories, searchable viewer lists and Story rewatch insights 💎

• Instagram is rolling out a Series feature that lets creators and brands link related Reels together into a bingeable playlist format with a Next Reel prompt. Instead of leaving followers hunting through your feed for Part 2, series content will now get its own dedicated tab on your profile. 

• TikTok is trialling Voice Notes in its Direct Messages, allowing mutual followers to send voice notes to each other. The feature is still being tested, so it isn’t available to everyone just yet 📞

The UK Has Banned Teens From Social Media

Australia may have started the conversation but the UK is taking it a step further. The government has confirmed plans to ban social media for under 16s, while also exploring tighter rules around livestreaming, gaming platforms, overnight curfews, and prompts to break up endless scrolling 🛑

The response has been split. Parents and educators have largely welcomed the move, with 90% of the public supporting the ban as a way to tackle cyberbullying, harmful content and screen addiction. Meanwhile, many teenagers argue social media is where they connect with friends, hobbies, and communities, raising concerns they’ll simply move to less regulated corners of the internet.

Is it working? 

It’s still early days. In Australia, nearly 7 in 10 parents say their children have still managed to access social media, largely because many platforms haven’t fully rolled out age verification yet 🔍

What about Aotearoa? 

With Australia leading the charge and the UK close behind, New Zealand could easily follow depending on how these overseas rollouts play out. One thing’s for sure, the conversation around young people and social media isn’t slowing down anytime soon 👀

July 2026 Trends

Here is your quick cheat sheet to what is currently moving across feeds this July:

• Preparing for my Netflix documentary Dramatically getting ready to reveal the life event that would feature in your Netflix documentary.
• 5 items worth spending your money on Sharing the products, habits, or experiences you genuinely think are spending money on.
• Timestamp grid Showing clips from different times throughout your day in one split-screen video.
• Wtf is … The text on screen says “WTF is…” followed by the opposite of what’s happening in the video.
• Food Jutsu Using slick edits and quick hand gestures to make food magically appear like a culinary ninja.

A quick word of advice, do not feel pressured to jump on every single trend you scroll past. Pick the ones that actually align with your brand personality, skip the rest and keep your content sounding like you.

Shifting the Winter Wellness Narrative with Comvita 

We’ve been busy working with the team at Comvita on a new campaign designed to rethink winter wellness. Instead of waiting for the seasonal sniffles to roll in, we’re spotlighting preventative care by weaving wellness into the everyday 🎬

The campaign comes to life through a five-episode social reel mini-series following a protagonist through grounding daily rituals. Picture sunrise stretches, west coast beach walks, pilates classes, slow mornings and nourishing moments on the go. Along the way, Comvita favourites like Olive Leaf Extract, Propolis Elixir Sprays and Mānuka honey slot effortlessly into the routine 🍯

It’s about showing how wellness can seamlessly slot into the habits and moments people already love with Comvita with you every step of the way 💛❄️

That’s all from us ✨

Hopefully we’ve given you plenty to think about before your next scroll. We’ll keep watching the updates, testing the trends and filtering out the noise so you don’t have to.

Catch you next month 👋

The Mosh Crew