Facebook trials free link sharing limit for some users

Meta described this as a limited experiment to see if giving subscribers the ability to share more links adds value

Facebook is rolling out a new limit on how many links some users can share in their posts unless they sign up for a paid plan.

This is yet another attempt by Meta to monetize key features of its platform. Users in the UK and US have reported seeing notifications that say, without a subscription that starts at £9.99 a month, they can only post a few links.

Meta described this as a limited experiment to see if giving subscribers the ability to share more links adds value.

The trial seems to be aimed at a specific group of users who are using ‘professional mode’ or managing Pages. These tools are often used by creators and businesses to promote their content and keep track of how it performs.

David Buttle, the founder of media consultancy DJB Strategies, said Meta had been “in a deliberate retreat from news for several years”.

After withdrawing from publisher payments, and blocking news links entirely in Canada in response to regulation, it has made clear that news is no longer strategic, he said.

This latest experiment – which for now excludes publishers – reinforces a shift away from free distribution and towards monetising reach, as Meta looks to squeeze more value from legacy platforms, he said.

This may be linked to its costly and widely acknowledged misstep in the metaverse, while now doubling down on AI, he said.

Social media expert Matt Navarra pointed out that this test shows Meta’s broader strategy of putting content distribution behind a paywall.

He mentioned that this isn’t just about verification; it signals a shift to charging users for the basic ability to attract traffic away from Facebook. Navarra said he was informed that he might only be allowed to share two links per month unless he pays.