Facebook's Newer Features Explained: A Parent's Guide for 2026

Facebook changes constantly, and the features that matter to families aren't always the ones that get the headlines. If you haven't looked closely at the app in a while, or your teen has just joined, this guide explains the newer pieces you're most likely to notice, what they do, and anything worth adjusting.

Features roll out gradually and vary by country, app version and account type, so you may not see every item below yet.

The Friends tab

For years, the main Facebook Feed has mixed posts from friends with suggested posts, Reels from accounts you don't follow, and ads. In 2025 Meta relaunched the Friends tab, starting in the US and Canada, as a place to see only what your friends share: their posts, stories and reels, along with birthdays and friend requests.

Why it matters: If the main Feed feels like a stream of strangers, the Friends tab is the closest thing to the old Facebook. It's especially helpful for older relatives who joined to keep up with family. You'll find it in the navigation bar or the menu (bookmarks) section of the app.

Reels and recommended content

Reels are short vertical videos, similar to TikTok, and they now appear throughout Facebook, including from accounts you don't follow. They're chosen by Facebook's recommendation system based on what you watch and interact with.

Why it matters: Recommended content is where kids and teens are most likely to run into things you wouldn't choose for them. No recommendation system is perfect. Use Show less or Hide on posts that miss the mark; those signals shape future recommendations.

Meta AI

Meta's AI assistant, Meta AI, is built into Facebook's search bar and into Messenger. You can ask it questions, have it summarize or write text, or generate images.

Why it matters for families:

• AI answers can be wrong. Treat them like a starting point, not a source.
• Avoid sharing personal details, such as full names, addresses, health information or photos of children, in AI chats.
• Talk with kids and teens about the difference between chatting with a person and chatting with an AI, and about not relying on a chatbot for advice on serious personal problems.

Teen Accounts on Facebook and Messenger

In April 2025, Meta extended Teen Accounts, which launched on Instagram in 2024, to Facebook and Messenger, starting in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. Teens are placed into them automatically. Key protections include:

• Messages limited to friends and people they've already been in contact with.
• Audience settings for posts, stories, friend lists and followed Pages defaulting to Friends.
• Reminders to leave the app after an hour of use a day.
• Teens aged 13 to 15 need a parent's approval to make these settings less protective.

Parents who set up supervision through Meta's Family Center can set daily time limits and sleep mode, and see some information about their teen's friends and contacts. If you're still deciding whether your child is ready for Facebook, see Kids on Facebook: yes, no or maybe?

Accounts Center

Many settings that used to live inside Facebook have moved to Meta's Accounts Center, which manages Facebook, Instagram and Messenger together. Passwords, two-factor authentication, login alerts, personal details, ad preferences and account deletion are all there now.

Why it matters: Older how-to guides often point to menus that no longer exist. If a setting seems to be missing, it has probably moved to Accounts Center. Our guide to Facebook login notifications shows how to find the key security settings there.

Passkeys

In 2025 Facebook began rolling out passkeys in its iPhone and Android apps. A passkey lets you sign in using your phone's fingerprint, face recognition or screen lock instead of a password. Passkeys are designed to resist phishing, because there's no password to type into a fake page. If your app offers one, it's worth setting up, for you and your teen.

Activity from other businesses

Meta retired its older Off-Facebook Activity controls in 2025 and replaced them with a setting called Activity from other businesses, starting in the US and other countries. It controls whether Meta uses information that websites and apps send about you to personalize ads and content, but not whether that information is sent. Our guide to Facebook app privacy explains where it lives.

Marketplace updates

Marketplace, Facebook's buy-and-sell section, added more social features in late 2025, including collections of listings you can share with friends and AI-suggested questions to ask a seller.

Why it matters: Marketplace is a common place for scams: fake listings, overpayment tricks and requests for verification codes. Teens who sell old games or clothes there should keep conversations on Facebook, meet in public with an adult, and never share a code texted to their phone.

Features that are gone

If you've been on Facebook for a long time, you may remember features that no longer exist or have been folded into others: the "secure browsing" setting (HTTPS has been automatic since 2013), Nearby Friends, the old Timeline launch, and Off-Facebook Activity. When you see advice that mentions these, it's out of date.

What to do with all this

• Try the Friends tab if the Feed feels like strangers.
• Use Show less and Hide to shape recommendations.
• Keep personal details and kids' photos out of Meta AI chats.
• Check that your teen's account is a Teen Account and consider supervision.
• Find security settings in Accounts Center, and set up two-factor authentication or a passkey.
• Review Activity from other businesses in your ad settings.
• Re-run the 5-minute Facebook Privacy Checkup after any big redesign.