Back-to-school season might be over, but that doesn’t mean your to-do list has gotten any shorter since the first day of school. Fall is known as one of the busiest times for school pros, and between the events, emails, and everything in between, keeping up with social media trends might not be at the very top of your to-do list.

Don’t overlook the latest social media updates — it’s what helps your content get noticed. The right insights can make the difference between your posts being skipped over or appearing front and center in your audience’s feed.

The latest edition of Finalsite’s Social Media Trends for Schools has pulled together the biggest updates schools should know this fall. We’ve got all the key updates about all the newest features, trends, and strategies that could impact your school’s communications now and heading into 2026.

A lot has happened in the last few months: Instagram continues to release small but impactful features, AI overviews are pulling information from YouTube, and TikTok still hasn’t been sold (shocker). 

You can now link your Instagram Reels.

Instagram is giving creators another way to boost engagement with a new feature for Reels: the ability to link one Reel to another. It works a lot like YouTube’s “suggested videos,” guiding viewers on what to watch next. This small but powerful update can help increase your watch time and keep your audience engaged longer— a great strategy for creating a stronger sense of community around your content.

Your likes are showing up in your followers' Facebook feeds.

Facebook rolled out “friend bubbles” on Reels and feed posts, which will highlight the content your friends have liked. So now, as you scroll through your feed, you’ll see recommended posts from people you know. If you use Instagram, then this feature may seem familiar.

Instagram is taking action to protect teen users.

Meta is expanding its global teen safety protections across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. Teen accounts will now have the ability to limit interactions with adults, reduce exposure to sensitive content, and set reminders about time spent online

So What’s Next?

For more insights, tips, and strategies to improve your school’s social media strategy, download the latest edition of Finalsite’s Social Media Trends for Schools to get the inside scoop on all the latest social media news and how it will impact you and your school.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As the Social Media and Content Specialist, Hailey oversees Finalsite's social media accounts and helps grow its online community. Following her time at the University of Kansas, where she took up rowing, Hailey is a fitness enthusiast who enjoys playing soccer and running.