Social Media Tips – Week of February 23, 2026
Social Media Tips – Week of February 23, 2026
Big week in the social media world, from a landmark courtroom showdown to a quiet but useful Instagram feature that school communicators should know about. Let's get into it.
⚖️ Zuckerberg on Trial: What It Means for School Communicators
This past week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand in Los Angeles for the first time in a landmark social media addiction trial, and it's one worth paying attention to if you work in K-12 communications.
The trial centers on claims that Meta and YouTube deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive to children, with features like infinite scroll, algorithmic recommendations, and beauty filters fueling mental health harm. The plaintiff, now 20, says she began using Instagram at age 9 and developed anxiety, body dysmorphia, and suicidal ideation. TikTok and Snapchat settled before the trial began. Meta and YouTube are defending their platforms.
The outcome of this case could shape the resolution of more than 1,500 similar lawsuits, including cases brought by hundreds of school districts across the country.
Key moments from Zuckerberg's testimony:
He maintained that the existing body of scientific research has not proven social media causes mental health harm, while acknowledging the platforms can be used in ways that are "problematic."
He defended Instagram's beauty filters as a free expression issue, even after 18 outside experts Meta consulted raised concerns about harm to teenage girls.
Internal documents introduced at trial showed Instagram had goals to increase daily user engagement time, and that Meta employees had more than 4 million users under age 13 on the platform in 2015.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified the prior week and stated he believes "problematic use" of social media is distinct from clinical addiction.
What this means for school districts: This trial is the most significant legal moment for social media and youth safety in history. Whether or not you have a personal position, your community is watching. This is a good time to review and be prepared to communicate your district's digital wellness stance, phone policies, and the supports you have in place for student mental health. The outcome could also directly affect school districts that have filed their own lawsuits.
📱 Instagram Now Shows You Which Followers Have Deactivated Accounts
Here's a practical feature that flew under the radar but matters for your analytics: Instagram has added a "Deactivated Users" label inside your followers list.
When you tap on your follower count from your profile, you'll now see a dedicated section at the top that groups accounts marked as deactivated. This means those inactive profiles, people who may have left Instagram, paused their accounts, or had their accounts removed, are now clearly identified.
Why does this matter? Deactivated followers inflate your total follower count without contributing to your engagement or reach. When your analytics are calculated against that inflated number, your engagement rate can appear lower than it actually is. (Note: because Instagram is pushing "Views" as the primary metric, deactivated followers won't affect your View counts, but they do affect the perception of your account's health.)
The downside: removing them is still a manual, one-by-one process. It takes patience, but here's how to approach it for district accounts:
Tap your follower count from your profile page.
Look for the "Deactivated Users" section at the top of the list.
Remove accounts from that section over time, even doing 10–15 per day will chip away at the list.
Think of it like pruning a garden: a smaller, engaged audience is always more valuable than a large, inactive one.
For districts managing multiple accounts, this is also a good reminder to audit your follower lists periodically as part of your regular social media maintenance routine.
🧵 Threads Ads Are Now Live Globally
After months of testing, Threads has officially launched ads to all users worldwide. If your district has been building a presence on Threads, this is worth noting because the platform's feed experience will begin to change as ads are integrated.
On the upside, Threads' user numbers continue to grow, it now reportedly has more daily active users than X (formerly Twitter), with over 320 million monthly active users. Early advertisers will have less competition and potentially lower costs before the platform gets crowded.
For district communications, you don't necessarily need to advertise on Threads, but if paid social media is part of your strategy, this is an emerging option to keep on your radar.
📲 TikTok Testing a Nearby Feed
TikTok is testing a "Nearby Feed" that surfaces local content to users based on their location. This is still in testing, but the direction is significant: social media is becoming more local.
For school districts, a local-first TikTok feature could be a meaningful opportunity to reach community members who may not yet follow your account. Think graduation highlights, community events, school spirit moments, content that resonates with people who have a geographic connection to your schools. Keep an eye on this one.
🔑 Instagram's Authenticity Push: What Adam Mosseri Has Said for 2026
As we've covered the past few weeks, Mosseri has made a clear declaration about where Instagram is headed in 2026: authenticity wins. Here's the short version of what that means in practice for educational communicators:
Profiles matter more than individual posts. The algorithm is shifting trust signals from single viral posts to overall account consistency and identity.
Speed over perfection. Instagram is rewarding creators who post consistently and move fast over those who post rarely but with heavy production.
AI-generated content will eventually need to be labeled. Original, human storytelling is becoming a differentiator, not just a nice-to-have.
DMs and shares remain the highest-value engagement signals. Content people send to each other matters more than likes.
For school communicators, this is a green light to lean into real stories: the teacher who stayed after school to help a student, the principal posting a quick walkthrough video, the senior who just earned a scholarship. Those authentic moments are exactly what the algorithm, and your community, is looking for.
💡 Quick Tip of the Week
With the Zuckerberg trial in full swing and national attention on student mental health and social media, this is a natural moment for school districts to proactively communicate their values.
Consider posting this week about:
How your district approaches digital wellness or screen time policies
A resource you offer students or families around healthy social media habits
A student wellness win, a program, an initiative, a human moment
You don't need to weigh in on the trial. You just need to show your community that you're thinking about what they're thinking about. That's authentic leadership in action.
Be on the lookout, tips drop regularly!
