Welcome back to this week’s TEAM LEWIS Social Round-Up. Australia is about to switch on the world’s first under-16 social media ban, which could change what our feeds look like for good, but the platforms are still rolling out updates faster than we can eat mince pies.
TikTok wants to be your local tour guide, Instagram is quietly powering up the API nerds, Meta is reassuring everyone it is not reading your DMs, YouTube is letting you A/B test your way to better titles, and LinkedIn really wants you to launch that newsletter. Plus Apple is beaming iPad Christmas trees onto Battersea and Travelodge has turned hotel rooms into festive wrapping bunkers.
Let’s get into it 👇
Latest News
📰 Australia’s Under-16 Social Ban Makes Headlines
This week, Australia’s world-first ban on under-16s using social media is making waves, and marketers have plenty to say about what comes next. MARKETECH APAC pulled together industry voices to unpack the impact, including yours truly. The piece digs into how kids will still see content, how parents will become the new gatekeepers, and why youth marketing isn’t dead, it’s just moving. It’s a huge shift for the industry, and it’s all kicking in on December 10. 👉 Read the full article
📍 TikTok Nearby gets properly local
TikTok has launched a Nearby Feed that turns the app into a local discovery engine. You can now browse content, creators, restaurants and attractions around you, change your location to snoop on other cities, and give TikTok more precise location data if you choose. Under 18s and private accounts are excluded, and only recent content is eligible. For marketers, this pushes TikTok deeper into local search, footfall and tourism territory, especially for small businesses and hospitality. 👉 Read more
📊 Instagram quietly levels up its APIs
Instagram has dropped a chunky API update. New insights include Reels skip rate and repost counts at the post and account level, plus cross-posted Reels views across IG and Facebook. On the publishing side, you can now delete IG media via API and support Trial Reels, while new Collaboration APIs let brands fetch and accept collab invites programmatically. This is all behind the scenes, but it gives platforms, schedulers and bigger brands far richer reporting and collaboration controls to tune performance. 👉 Read more
🎥 Meta breaks down what makes Reels convert
Meta has shared new research on what actually works in Reels. Big themes. Show your brand and main message in the first five seconds, repeat your branding or product more than once, combine speech and music, and use everyday “slice of life” scenes. For DR, product comes first; keep branding under 25 per cent of the runtime; stack in USPs and a clear CTA; and don’t be shy with emojis and native hooks. In short, design Reels for sound-on, vertical viewing, and fast storytelling if you want to stay in the top 20% for purchase intent. 👉 Read more
📺 YouTube title A/B testing goes global
YouTube’s Test and Compare tool has graduated. All creators with advanced features can now A/B test up to 3 titles, thumbnails, or combinations per video. Experiments run for up to two weeks and are judged on watch time, not just CTR, with the winning combo auto-applied if there is a clear leader. It is a simple way to test curiosity hooks, keywords and creative angles without spamming subscribers with reuploads. 👉 Read more
🔐 Meta is not about to read all your DMs
A viral clip claimed Meta is about to scan everyone’s private messages for AI training. Meta has now clarified that the December 16 privacy update only covers interactions with Meta AI, not your regular chats on WhatsApp, Messenger or Instagram. Private conversations remain encrypted and off-limits unless you explicitly bring Meta AI into the thread. Useful context for brands and clients who are already nervous about AI data use and wondering what is actually changing. 👉 Read more
✉️ LinkedIn newsletters as B2B lead engines
LinkedIn is pushing newsletters hard and has shared a playbook for growing readers and subscribers. The pitch. Pick a clear niche, publish consistently, use Article and Newsletter Ads to reach your audience, and cross-promote through posts, email signatures, QR codes and collaborations with other creators. Because LinkedIn already has user emails, subscribing is almost frictionless, which is why some authors see newsletter lists grow far faster on LinkedIn than via traditional email. For B2B, this is a simple way to stay visible across long buying cycles and feed your pipeline. 👉 Read more
🔧 Quick Tip of the Week
If you post regularly on LinkedIn, turn your best recurring theme into a newsletter. Start monthly, keep the topic ruthlessly focused, and use each edition as the base for a couple of shorter posts. Easy extra reach, extra touchpoints with decision makers, and you are building an owned audience inside a channel your buyers already live in.
✨ Campaigns We Love ✨
🎄 Apple – Your Tree on Battersea
Apple invited the public to design iPad Christmas trees, then projected the winning creations onto Battersea Power Station’s towers alongside artwork from big names like Kylie and Stephen Fry. A neat blend of UGC, product demo and iconic London skyline takeover. 👉 See the lights
🎁 Travelodge – Secret wrapping rooms for parents
Travelodge is offering free “wrapping rooms” in selected hotels so stressed parents can hide from the kids and blitz their Christmas presents in peace, complete with paper, tape and mince pies. A simple, clever way to turn budget rooms into festive saviours. 👉 That’s a wrap
🗓️ Mark Your Calendars
Opportunities to celebrate this week
- Wednesday 10 December – International Animal Rights Day 🐾
- Thursday 11 December – Christmas Jumper Day 🎄
- Friday 12 December – Gingerbread House Day 🍪
- Saturday 13 December – Day of the Horse 🐴
- Sunday 14 December – Monkey Around Day 🐒
- Monday 15 December – National Cupcake Day 🧁
- Tuesday 16 December – Stupid Toy Day 🧸
And next…
- Wednesday 17 December – Wright Brothers Day ✈️
- Thursday 18 December – Bake Cookies Day 🍪
- Friday 19 December – National Ugly Sweater Day 🧶
- Saturday 20 December – Go Caroling Day 🎶
- Sunday 21 December – World Basketball Day 🏀
- Monday 22 December – Mathematics Day ➗
- Tuesday 23 December – National Christmas Movie Marathon Day 📺
- Wednesday 24 December – Christmas Eve 🎄
That’s all for this week!
I am off to book a Travelodge wrapping room before my kids discover the present stash again. If you want to talk about any of these updates or how they might fit into your 2026 plans, you know where to find us.
See you next week, bye 👋
Subscribe to our Weekly Social Newsletter and receive the weekly trend straight to your email.
