Facebook facts for kids
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Symbol and wordmark used since 2023
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Mark Zuckerberg's profile (viewed when logged out), 2023
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Type of site
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Social networking service |
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| Available in | Multilingual Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Assamese, Azerbaijani, Basque, Belarusian, Bengali, Bosnian, Breton, Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Cebuano, Corsican, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Dutch (België), English (UK), English (US), English (upside down), Esperanto, Estonian, Faroese, Filipino, Finnish, French (Canada), French (France), Frisian, Fula, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Guarani, Gujarati, Haitian Creole, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Japanese (Kansai), Javanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Khmer, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Kurdish (Kurmanji), Kyrgyz, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malagasy, Malay, Malayalam, Maltese, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian (bokmal), Norwegian (nynorsk), Odia, Pashto, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Sardinian, Serbian, Shona, Silesian, Simplified Chinese (China), Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Sorani Kurdish, Spanish, Spanish (Spain), Swahili, Swedish, Syriac, Tajik, Tamazight, Tamil, Tatar, Telugu, Tetun, Thai, Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong), Traditional Chinese (Taiwan), Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Vietnamese, Welsh and Zaza |
| Founded | February 4, 2004 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US |
| Area served | Worldwide, except blocking countries |
| Owner | Meta Platforms |
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| CEO | Mark Zuckerberg |
| Registration | Required (to do any activity) |
| Users |  3.07 billion monthly active users (as of 6 March 2026[update]) |
| Launched | February 4, 2004 |
| Written in | C++, Hack (as HHVM) and PHP |
Facebook is a popular social networking service. It is owned by a company called Meta Platforms. Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook in 2004. They were students at Harvard College. The name "Facebook" came from special directories. These directories often had photos and names of university students.
At first, only Harvard students could use Facebook. Then it grew to include other universities. Since 2006, people aged 13 and older can sign up. In some places like South Korea, Spain, and Quebec, you need to be 14.
By December 2023, Facebook had over 3 billion active users each month. In July 2025, it was one of the most visited websites worldwide. It was also the most downloaded app of the 2010s.
You can use Facebook on many devices. These include personal computers, tablets, and smartphones. After you sign up, you create a profile. Here you can share things about yourself. You can post text, photos, and videos. You choose if these are seen by everyone or just your friends. You can also chat with friends using Messenger. You can join groups about your interests. Facebook also sends you notifications about your friends' activities.
Like many big online platforms, Facebook has faced challenges. People have discussed how it handles user information. There have also been talks about how information spreads online. Sometimes, people share misleading or harmful content. It is important to be careful about what you see and share.
How Facebook Started and Grew
Facebook began as a simple website for college students. It quickly grew into a huge global social network.
In 2003, while at Harvard University, Mark Zuckerberg created a site called "Facemash." This site let users compare photos of students. Later, in January 2004, Zuckerberg started coding a new site. He called it "TheFacebook." He saw the potential for a central website to connect people.
Zuckerberg teamed up with Eduardo Saverin, who invested $1,000. On February 4, 2004, "TheFacebook" officially launched. At first, only students at Harvard College could join. Soon, Dustin Moskovitz, Andrew McCollum, and Chris Hughes joined to help. They helped the site grow to other universities in the US and Canada.
In 2004, Sean Parker became president of the company. Facebook then moved to Palo Alto, California. Peter Thiel made the first big investment in Facebook. In 2005, the company bought the name Facebook.com and dropped "The" from its name.
By 2006, Facebook was open to anyone aged 13 or older with an email address. It added important features like the News Feed. This helped users see updates from their friends. By 2007, Facebook had become the most popular social media platform. It even bought other popular apps. In 2012, Facebook bought Instagram. In 2014, it acquired WhatsApp and Oculus VR. This helped Facebook grow beyond just social networking.
In 2018, there were discussions about how user information was used. This led to new rules about online privacy. Facebook's role in global events showed it could be used for good, like organizing peaceful movements. But it also showed the challenges of managing information online. In 2021, Facebook changed its company name to Meta. This change showed its focus on new technologies like virtual reality.
Key Features of Facebook
Facebook lets users share many types of content. You can post text, photos, and videos. Videos can be up to 240 minutes long.
Connecting with Friends and Groups
Users can become "friends" with others. Both people must agree to be friends. You can choose who sees your posts. Options include everyone (public), only friends, or specific groups of friends.
You can also join groups on Facebook. These groups are for people with shared interests. For example, a group might be for a sports club or a hobby. Posts in a group are usually only seen by group members.
Buying and Selling Online
Facebook has a "Marketplace" feature. Here, users can buy, sell, or trade items. There are also "Buy, Swap and Sell" groups for this purpose.
Events and Notifications
Users can create and advertise events. These events can be online or in person. Facebook also sends you notifications. These tell you about your friends' activities or pages you follow.
Your Personal Profile
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Every registered user has a personal profile. This profile shows your posts and content. In 2011, the profile layout became "Timeline." This shows your stories in order, like status updates and photos. You can add a "cover photo" to your profile.
Facebook also lets you choose your gender identity. You can pick from many options. You can also set which pronouns should be used for you on the site.
The News Feed
The News Feed is on your homepage. It shows updates from your friends and pages you follow. This includes new posts, upcoming events, and birthdays.
At first, some users worried about privacy with the News Feed. Facebook then added more privacy settings. Now, you can control what types of information are shared. You can also choose which friends see certain updates.
Facebook has a special way of sorting stories. This helps decide what you see in your News Feed. The "Photos" feature lets you upload albums and pictures. You can also "tag" friends in photos. This sends them a notification.
In 2015, Facebook launched "Instant Articles." This allowed news to be read directly on Facebook. In 2017, "Facebook Stories" were added. These are photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours.
In 2018, Facebook changed the News Feed. It started to show more content from friends and family. It showed less from news companies. Facebook has also invested in licensing news content from publishers.
The Like Button and Reactions
The "like" button was added in 2009. It looks like a "thumbs up" icon. It lets you easily interact with posts, comments, photos, and videos. When you "like" something, it is more likely to appear in your friends' News Feeds.
In 2016, Facebook added "Reactions." These let you choose from five emotions. You can pick "Love," "Haha," "Wow," "Sad," or "Angry." In 2020, a "Care" reaction was also added.
Instant Messaging with Messenger
Facebook Messenger is a messaging app. It started as Facebook Chat in 2008. It became a separate mobile app in 2011. Messenger lets you send messages to friends. You can also make voice and video calls.
In 2020, Facebook launched "Messenger Rooms." This feature lets you video chat with up to 50 people. Later, Messenger also added cross-app messaging with Instagram. This means you can chat with Instagram users from Messenger.
Businesses also use Messenger to talk with customers. They can track purchases or offer customer service. Developers can create chatbots for Messenger. These are computer programs that can chat with users.
Keeping Your Information Safe
Facebook has rules about how it collects and uses your information. These rules are called its data policy. You can control who sees your posts and profile. This is done through your privacy settings. Your name and profile picture are usually public.
Facebook uses information to show you ads that might interest you. They say they do not share your personal details with advertisers. They provide general information, like age groups or interests. This helps advertisers understand their audience better.
Facebook also shares data with other apps and websites you use. For example, if you play a game with Facebook friends, the game developer might get some information. However, Facebook has been working to limit how much data developers can access. They want to prevent misuse of information. Facebook will also share data if required by law.
Facebook's privacy rules have changed over time. This is due to discussions about user data. Different countries also have different rules. For example, Europe has the GDPR. This law gives users extra privacy protections.
Finding Security Bugs
In 2011, Facebook started a "Bug Bounty Program." This program pays security experts. They get money for finding and reporting security problems. This helps Facebook keep its platform safe for everyone.
Facebook's Impact on the World
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How Facebook is Used
Facebook holds a lot of information. It shows how people react to events. It also shows how our customs change over time. This can be very helpful for people who study society and history.
Economic Influence
Facebook offers many services that benefit users. For example, many people can use the same feature without competing. Facebook has also created many jobs. Its platform allows other companies to build apps and games. For instance, Zynga Inc. is a company that makes social games.
Facebook has also worked to reduce its environmental impact. In 2021, Facebook announced that its global operations use 100 percent renewable energy. They also reached net zero emissions.
Social Connections
Facebook was one of the first large social networks. It connects hundreds of millions of people. Many Americans get their news through Facebook.
Mental and Emotional Well-being
Studies have looked at how social networks affect our feelings. It is important to balance time spent online and offline. Being mindful of what you see on social media can help. Connecting with friends and family in positive ways can improve well-being.
Cultural Impact
Facebook and its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, have been featured in movies and books. The 2010 film The Social Network tells the story of Facebook's early days.
In 2008, "Facebook" was named the Word of the Year by Collins English Dictionary. In 2009, the New Oxford American Dictionary chose "unfriend" as its word of the year. This means to remove someone as a friend on a social networking site.
Connecting the World with Internet.org
In 2013, Facebook started Internet.org. This project works with other tech companies. Its goal is to provide affordable internet access to people in developing countries. The service, called Free Basics, offers basic internet apps.
In India, there was some opposition to Internet.org. The service was later banned there in 2016. However, Zuckerberg stated in 2018 that Internet.org had helped nearly 100 million people get online.
Protecting Our Environment
Facebook announced in 2021 that it would work to stop false information about climate change. The company uses information from universities like George Mason University and the University of Cambridge. Facebook is expanding its climate information hub to 16 countries. Users in other countries can find information from the United Nations Environment Programme.
See also
In Spanish: Facebook para niños
- Ambient awareness
- Corporation tax in the Republic of Ireland
- Cyberstalking
- DARPA LifeLog
- Double Irish arrangement – Tax scheme
- Facebook malware
- Six degrees of separation
- Surveillance capitalism
- Timeline of social media
