Also known as: Facebook mobile application
Facebook — social media platform owned by Meta, subject to regulatory scrutiny and technical outages in Kenya and globally.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
… Why did Facebook buy WhatsApp? But why now? …
SA's change of tack in Kenya banking takeover unsettlingCapital News
NAIROBI, Kenya July 19 -Thousands of Facebook users in Kenya and across other parts of the world were temporarily locked out of their accounts on Sunday after the social media platform experienced a widespread service disruption. …
Facebook Outage Locks Out Thousands of Users as Platform Reports Temporary Site IssueThe Standard
… The outage primarily impacted users accessing Facebook via desktop browsers, including many in Kenya, while the mobile application continued to function normally for most users. …
Facebook desktop outage reported worldwideCitizen Digital
… Facebook connected friends and family. Instagram celebrated visual storytelling. …
The marketplace internet: How Kenya's digital spaces are changingThe Standard
… Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook quickly became the focus of concerns over deteriorating mental health, cyberbullying, online predators and deliberately addictive design. …
Beyond social media: Are governments regulating the wrong thing?The Standard
… "More can and must be done." Alongside the recommendations, the EU has ramped up the pressure on social media platforms to change, telling Facebook and Instagram Friday to dismantle their "addictive" features, after a similar warning to TikTok in February.The expert panel met thr …
Mulling ban, EU gets expert verdict on social media for childrenThe Standard
… Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook quickly became the focus of concerns over deteriorating mental health, cyberbullying, online predators and deliberately addictive design. …
Beyond social media: When governments regulate the wrong thingCitizen Digital
… An EU official told AFP, however, the commission is set to issue findings against Meta's Facebook and Instagram in a probe looking at how their services may cause addictive behaviour in children before the summer ends.
EU moves closer to kicking kids off social mediaCitizen Digital
… From a Facebook Post to a Life-Changing Multibet Win Rounding out this week's winners is a fan from Migori County, whose journey to becoming a Shabikia winner started, quite literally, on social media. …
Four Kenyans, four dreams: How Shabikia World Cup kishabiki winnings are changing livesCitizen Digital
… Meta's social media platforms -- WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram -- and X are among the most popular in the country. …
Nigeria probes big tech, AI firms for 'unlawful' media content useSouth African companies are increasing their stake in Kenya's financial sector through investments in NCBA, Safaricom, and Absa Bank Kenya, after previous retail ventures like ShopRite and Massmart failed in the market.
28 July 2026 · The Standard →
South African companies are increasing their stake in Kenya's financial sector through investments in NCBA, Safaricom, and Absa Bank Kenya, after previous retail ventures like ShopRite and Massmart failed in the market.
28 July 2026 · The Standard →
Thousands of Facebook users in Kenya and across the world were temporarily locked out of their accounts on Sunday due to a widespread service disruption. Users attempting to access the platform through web browsers received a message indicating a technical issue on Facebook's end, and some also reported difficulties on the mobile application.
19 July 2026 · Capital News →
Facebook experienced a widespread disruption on Sunday that affected the platform's desktop version, leaving users unable to access the social media site through web browsers, though the mobile application continued to function normally. The cause of the outage was not immediately known, and Meta had not issued an immediate statement or disclosed the number of users affected.
19 July 2026 · The Standard →
Social media platforms like TikTok and Telegram in Kenya have transformed from spaces for sharing moments into commercial hubs where users market themselves, build businesses, seek financial support, and sometimes exploit others. Platforms originally designed for entertainment and privacy have increasingly hosted both legitimate economic activity and criminal enterprises.
14 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An opinion piece questions whether bans on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook address the real problem of child safety online, noting that such restrictions could simply push conversations to messaging apps and gaming platforms that escape current legal definitions.
13 July 2026 · The Standard →
An expert panel of doctors, academics, youth representatives and parents will deliver recommendations on Monday to help the European Union decide whether to ban children from social media. Greece, France and Spain have pushed for limiting minors' access, and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has tasked the panel to advise on how the bloc should address the issue, with a legal proposal expected this summer.
13 July 2026 · The Standard →
An opinion piece examines whether banning social media for children would effectively address concerns over mental health and online safety, or whether conversations would simply shift to messaging apps and gaming platforms outside the legal definition of "social media."
13 July 2026 · The Standard →
An expert report expected July 13 is anticipated to recommend limiting minors' access to online platforms, potentially leading to EU restrictions as early as summer. Options under consideration range from a blanket ban on under-16s to restrictions on certain services and features, following Australia's similar move.
9 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Four Kenyans who won Shabikia World Cup kishabiki prizes are using their winnings to improve their lives: a Ksh.500,000 winner plans to buy irrigation equipment and dairy cattle to diversify his farm income, while a Ksh.300,000 winner is using the money to clear school fee arrears and continue her studies.
7 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Nigeria's competition regulator launched an investigation into major technology and AI companies, including Meta, Alphabet, X, and generative AI platforms, following allegations of unlawful exploitation of news content and unfair market practices. The investigation, initiated by presidential directive after a petition from the Nigerian Press Organisation, will examine unauthorised use of journalistic content for AI model development.
6 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Nigeria's competition regulator said Monday it is investigating major technology and AI companies over allegations of unlawful exploitation of news content and unfair market practices, following a presidential directive after a petition by the Nigerian Press Organisation citing concerns about unauthorised use of journalistic content for AI training.
6 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
WhatsApp is introducing a feature that lets users interact with strangers without revealing their phone numbers, allowing new contacts to reach them only via a unique username. The platform is also rolling out monetisation tools including paid channel subscriptions and advertisements in Status.
2 July 2026 · The Standard →
Meta's aggressive spending on artificial intelligence capabilities has created internal turmoil, with employees at Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp experiencing frequent layoffs since early 2025, including a 10 percent workforce cut this spring affecting 8,000 jobs, plus accusations of surveillance through an internal AI training initiative.
1 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
WhatsApp said it will let hundreds of millions of users pick unique usernames to share instead of phone numbers, designed to protect privacy. The feature will be rolled out gradually over the coming months, with no directory or suggestions—people will need to know the exact username to contact someone.
30 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Australia will increase the maximum penalty for platforms flouting its social media ban for under-16s to Aus$99 million and grant its eSafety watchdog greater powers to enforce compliance. The government is actively investigating potential non-compliance by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube.
28 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Meta has appointed Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah as the new head of WhatsApp as the tech giant seeks to monetise the messaging app. The announcement was accompanied by news that Meta would lead a $900 million funding round in Shah's consumer finance firm CRED.
23 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Meta has appointed Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah to lead WhatsApp, as the US tech giant works to monetise the messaging app's large user base. Meta is also leading a $900 million funding round in Shah's consumer finance firm CRED.
23 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Visa report found that 89% of Kenyans use AI tools for shopping tasks such as comparing prices and checking reviews, but only 29% would trust AI agents to complete checkout on their behalf. Scams remain a significant concern in the e-commerce sector, with 37% of Kenyans having experienced them.
17 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
After her 12-year-old daughter died by suicide in 2024, Irene Roggero Ugues discovered the girl had been exposed to self-harm content on social media platforms, including a secret Instagram profile, and is now taking legal action against Meta and TikTok.
17 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
A Reuters Institute report based on surveys of almost 100,000 people across 48 countries found that 54 percent of respondents got news from social media or video platforms in the week before the survey, exceeding the 52 percent who referenced TV news. This marks the first year social media and video network consumption is ahead of other news sources globally.
16 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that children under 16 will be banned from using social media platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X, citing concerns that such platforms expose youngsters to dangerous and addictive content. The ban is expected to pass by late December and come into force in spring 2025.
15 June 2026 · The Standard →
Social media platforms including Facebook, X, TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp have changed how people connect, express themselves and build relationships across distances, contrasting with earlier reliance on face-to-face conversation, letters and phone calls that required more effort and deeper personal valuation.
13 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Canada introduced a digital safety bill banning social media for children under 16, with exemptions for platforms meeting certain safety standards, and establishing a digital regulator to set safety standards for AI chatbots. Companies face penalties of 3% of global revenue or up to C$10 million for non-compliance.
11 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The European Commission ordered Meta on Tuesday to give rival AI chatbots access to its WhatsApp platform for free within five working days during an antitrust investigation into Meta's policy of blocking access for non-Meta AI providers, or face a heavy fine.
10 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An opinion piece warns that Kenya faces a growing public health crisis as tobacco use causes approximately 12,000 deaths annually, with rising use of new nicotine products like e-cigarettes and vapes among young people threatening to reverse global progress in tobacco control.
4 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →
An opinion piece warns that Kenya risks harming a generation through rising use of nicotine products including e-cigarettes and vapes among young people, as tobacco use contributes to approximately 12,000 deaths annually and threatens to reverse global tobacco control progress.
3 June 2026 · The Standard →
Malaysia has required major social media platforms with at least eight million users in the country—including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube—to verify ages and bar children under 16 from registering accounts under new online safety rules that took effect on Monday. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said platforms would be given a grace period to implement the measures, without specifying its duration.
31 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Spotify Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy spoke at the platform's Johannesburg event about royalties and the continent's music sector. The company revealed that South African artists generated more than Ksh.3.9 billion in royalties on Spotify in 2025.
18 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Meta has discontinued end-to-end encryption for Instagram private chats as of May 8, 2026. A Meta spokesperson told The Guardian that few users opted for the service since it was not automatic, and the company is removing this option from Instagram.
14 May 2026 · Citizen Digital →
The European Union said Meta is failing to prevent children under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram, exposing them to potentially inappropriate content and risking a massive fine of up to six percent of Meta's total worldwide annual turnover. The EU found Meta had ineffective measures to enforce its own age-13 restriction on both platforms.
29 April 2026 · The Standard →