RED HOT SOCIAL HEADLINES: WHAT YOU MISSED THIS MONTH IN SOCIAL

Social media moves fast. A new feature one week, an algorithm shake-up the next, and a policy change landing before you’ve had your morning coffee. Every week our clients get Red Hot Social Headlines in their inbox, our newsletter covering the latest updates from across the platforms. Once a month, we pick out the very top stories and share them here.

Below are the headlines that mattered most this month: what changed, and what it means for brands. Let’s get into it.

Australia considers algorithm opt‑out laws for social media platforms

Australia is exploring legislation that could require social media platforms to give users the option to opt out of algorithmically recommended content.

Key Details:

• Tanya Plibersek, Australian social services minister, cited concerns that recommendation systems can quickly expose young users to violent and misogynistic material.
• This discussion builds on Australia’s recent social media restrictions and forthcoming Digital Duty Care legislations aimed at increasing platform accountability.
• No final model has been announced, as policymakers are still evaluating whether an opt-in or opt-out approach would prove most effective.

Key Takeaway: Australia’s proposal represents one of the most significant attempts yet to regulate recommendation algorithms rather than the content itself. If implemented, this could have major implications for brands that depend on algorithmic discovery and viral reach. 

Read more here.

TikTok comments are getting more interactive with voice comments, polls and more

TikTok is rolling out a suite of new comment features designed to make conversations more engaging and dynamic, transforming comment sections from simple feedback spaces into richer community hubs. 

Key Details:

• TikTok is introducing several new comment features, including voice comments, comment polls, photo carousel comments, and Live Photo comments.
• Users can now leave voice comments up to one minute long, while creators can add polls to their own videos to gather audience feedback on topics ranging from future content ideas to everyday decisions.
• TikTok is expanding visual engagement in comments by allowing users to share up to nine photos in a single comment and upload Live Photos, giving audiences more ways to participate in discussions and express themselves.

Key Takeaway: For creators and brands, features like voice comments, polls and enhanced visual replies open new ways to spark discussion, gather feedback and build stronger audience connections.

Read more about TikTok’s new comment features HERE.

Instagram lets users add tagged posts to profile grids 

Instagram is rolling out a feature that lets users add posts they are tagged in directly to their main profile grid. 

Key Details: 

• Users can add a tagged post to their grid from the DM notification received when tagged, directly from the post itself, or through the Tagged tab.  
• The original post stays exactly where it is—adding it to the grid doesn’t delete or duplicate the original post, and users can remove it from their profile at any time. 
• Instagram says the feature could be useful for creator collaborations, giving users another way to showcase posts they’ve been tagged in, and could be useful for brand campaigns featuring multiple creators. 

Key Takeaway: The update is part of a broader push from Instagram to give users more control over how their profiles look, offering brands and creators new flexibility for showcasing collaborative content. 

Read more about Instagram’s tagged posts feature here. 

 Meta makes moves to separate Threads from Instagram via new features for advertisers 

Meta has added Threads-specific permissions for businesses, allowing advertisers to assign Threads controls to team members separately from Instagram.  

Key Details: 

• Beginning in September 2026, Threads profiles will feature its own task-based access that is no longer tied to an Instagram profile.  
• Existing Threads profiles will initially keep the access settings they inherited from their linked Instagram account. However, businesses can now customize and manage access levels from now on.  
• Threads reports 500 million monthly active users with possible present potential in passing X in overall usage. 

Key Takeaways: Threads is becoming its own platform for marketers complete with access, setup, and team workflows which are now separate from Instagram. Social teams can now manage who handles Threads without giving total access and permission to their Instagram account. With Threads’ audience growing, brands should treat it as its own channel with a unique content plan as opposed to an Instagram add-on.  

Discover more about Meta’s latest efforts to make Threads a major player in social here.