Facebook’s Apps Went Down. The World Saw How Much It Runs on Them.

The outage disrupted the digital lives of small-business owners, politicians, aid workers and others. But for some, it was a welcome reprieve.

Gone in Minutes, Out for Hours: Outage Shakes Facebook

When apps used by billions of people worldwide blinked out, lives were disrupted, businesses were cut off from customers — and some Facebook employees were locked out of their offices.

Facebook Is Weaker Than We Knew

A trove of leaked documents, published by The Wall Street Journal, hints at a company whose best days are behind it.

Opinion | Why Everyone Is Always Giving Unsolicited Advice

And why, even though I hate it, small talk is so important.

Whistle-Blower to Accuse Facebook of Contributing to Jan. 6 Riot, Memo Says

In an internal memo meant to pre-empt a “60 Minutes” interview, Facebook defended itself and said that social media was not a primary cause of polarization.

Will TikTok Make You Buy It?

Give any social media platform long enough, and it turns into a mall.

Facebook Struggles to Quell Uproar Over Instagram’s Effect on Teens

The social network has been all hands on deck as it grapples with revelations that it knew the harmful effects its Instagram photo-sharing app was having on teenagers.

How I Knew I Needed to Quit Instagram

Just like with alcohol, social media left me feeling anxious and removed from myself.

Opinion | There’s Nothing to Like in Facebook’s Plans to Hook Our Kids

Getting children hooked on social media is a bad idea.

Facebook Downplays Internal Research Released on Eve of Hearing

The social network published its findings about Instagram’s effect on young users, as senators prepared to question an executive on Thursday.

Opinion | Instagram Is Adult Entertainment

We can’t make social media safe for teenagers. So we should keep them off.

Worried About Your Teen on Social Media? Here’s How to Help.

For kids, developing a healthier relationship with Instagram and other platforms can be tricky.

Police Search Florida Wilderness for ‘Person of Interest’ in Van Mystery

The parents of Brian Laundrie, whose fiancée, Gabrielle Petito, disappeared on a cross-country trip, say they haven’t seen their son in days, the police said.

A ‘Van Life’ Couple Went on a Cross-Country Trip, but Only One Returned

Gabrielle Petito and her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, left on July 2 for an adventure in their outfitted van. Now, the police say, she is missing and her fiancé is “a person of interest” in her disappearance.

Knockout Punch

A pair of young men used an idea, social media and a pandemic to create a thriving underground fight club. Then the authorities got wind of it.

How Far Can You Go to Resist Being the Subject of a Viral Video?

One boy’s violent act of retribution raises uncomfortable questions about the world we’ve made for children.

5 Art Accounts to Follow on Instagram Now

These warm, playful works by artists from Germany to Morocco prove that minimalism does not have to be austere.

Iranian Disinformation Effort Went Small to Stay Under Big Tech’s Radar

The effort, targeting activists in Israel, was the latest indication that governments are trying new, harder-to-detect methods to sow discontent online.

The Abandoned Houses of Instagram

People lived in these places once. What mysteries did they leave behind?

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Sparks Controversy in Online Essay

The novelist’s remarks went viral after she criticized former students as well as “social-media-savvy people who are choking on sanctimony and lacking in compassion.”