The rollout aims to diversify revenue beyond advertising and reduce reliance on ad dollars, with the process guided by user feedback and iterative testing.

Meta is testing paid subscriptions across Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp to unlock exclusive features, AI tools, and enhanced controls, while keeping core apps free.

In the UK, under-5 screen time guidance is slated for April to curb passive viewing and balance language development concerns.

The Meta strategy is framed as part of a wider tech industry push to monetize AI investments, while acknowledging past criticisms of data practices and experiments involving user data and political content.

The article is positioned within a sponsor roundup format, linking to various sponsor and podcast entries rather than a single traditional news piece.

Industry context notes a rise in streaming content spend, with Ampere Analysis forecasting global streaming at about $101 billion and total content spend near $255 billion in 2026.

France is moving to ban social media for under-15s over mental health and bullying concerns, with the bill advancing to the Senate after passing the National Assembly.

The Manus acquisition is central to the plan, bringing autonomous AI agents capable of tasks like job screening, travel planning, and data analysis, with immediate monetization potential through business subscriptions.

Regulators are reviewing Manus’ tech export issues, with potential impacts on timelines or deployments due to geopolitical considerations.

California is investigating TikTok over alleged suppression of anti-president content and blocks on posts mentioning Epstein, amid organizational changes and reported technical issues.

The European Commission is using the DMA to compel Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and share anonymized search data, with a six-month window for compliance and the risk of investigations or fines.

The move signals a broader industry trend toward mixed revenue models on social platforms to fund AI and infrastructure investments.