Meta’s Retiring its Like and Comment Buttons for Third-Party Websites

11/11/25
Source: Social Media Today – Latest News by Andrew Hutchinson. Read the original article

TL;DR Summary of Meta Deprecates Facebook Like and Comment Buttons for Websites

Meta is removing the Facebook Like and Comment buttons from third-party websites starting February 10, 2026. This change reflects a decline in usage as social platforms shift towards algorithm-driven content discovery rather than explicit engagement signals. The buttons will become invisible without affecting website functionality, and web managers can optionally remove their code. This move highlights the evolving nature of social interaction online, moving away from traditional Facebook engagement features.

Optimixed’s Overview: How Facebook’s Retiring of Like and Comment Buttons Signals a Shift in Social Engagement

Meta’s Decision to Phase Out Legacy Interaction Plugins

Meta has announced the deprecation of the Facebook Like and Comment buttons embedded on external websites, effective February 10, 2026. These plugins, once ubiquitous across blogs and news sites, allowed users to engage with content directly through Facebook’s social features. Going forward, instead of showing these buttons, websites will render an invisible element, ensuring no disruptions to site functionality.

Reasons Behind the Change

  • Declining Usage: The usage of Like and Comment buttons has naturally declined as user behavior has shifted.
  • Evolving Engagement Models: Modern platforms like TikTok prioritize algorithmic content delivery over explicit signals such as likes or comments.
  • Changing Facebook Dynamics: While Facebook remains widely used, its role as a hub for external engagement has diminished.

Implications for Website Managers and Users

Website administrators are not required to take action, as the buttons will simply stop functioning and disappear. However, for a cleaner user experience, removing the related plugin code is recommended. This milestone serves as an indicator of broader trends across social media platforms emphasizing personalized content discovery rather than direct interaction metrics.