Meta to charge UK Facebook and Instagram users to avoid targeted ads

Meta said UK users of Facebook and Instagram will be offered a paid option to avoid personalised advertising, with subscription prices set at £2.99 per month for web access and £3.99 per month for iOS and Android access. The plan would apply to all Facebook and Instagram accounts registered to a single Meta Accounts Center, and an automatic charge of £2 per web and £3 per mobile for each additional account would also apply. The company said the rollout would begin in the coming weeks, with notifications presented to users about the choice to subscribe or continue with a free, data-driven experience.

In practice, subscribers would see Facebook and Instagram without personalised ads, while non-subscribers would continue to be targeted and shown ads as before. Meta said users who do not pay will not experience a change in service and will retain some control over ad preferences, including Ads Preferences settings, to influence what kinds of ads they see. The company also stressed that the subscription affects all accounts linked through Meta Accounts Center, simplifying billing but increasing the cost for anyone managing multiple profiles. For users who already manage more than one account, Meta indicated an automatic charge of £2 for each web-based account and £3 for each mobile-based account.

Meta attributed the price differences between web and mobile to the fees charged by Google and Apple for access to their services. The company said the higher mobile price reflects those platform costs, which have become a focal point in discussions about how tech companies deliver services on smartphones. The move represents a major reversal in strategy for Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who previously asserted that Facebook would never charge users to remove ads. Meta framed the change as necessary to comply with new information-commissioner rules in the UK that require users to clearly consent to how their data is used for advertising.

Under Meta’s rationale, UK users over 18 will see a notification offering the choice to subscribe to Facebook and Instagram to avoid being targeted with ads. The notice is described as dismissible at first, allowing time for users to consider the decision before a subscription becomes required. Those who opt not to pay will see no immediate changes to service and will continue to be targeted with personalised ads unless they adjust their ad settings. For younger users, Meta said the experience will not change, noting that in the UK age and location are the only pieces of information used to target teenagers with specific adverts.

The company said the change is intended to give users a meaningful choice about whether their data is used for advertising. Meta said the subscription model aligns with new regulatory requirements that demand clear consent for data use in advertising. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) welcomed the development as a way to provide a fair choice for consumers, while underscoring that the user decision should be voluntary and transparent. The ICO noted that the price point was adjusted downward from earlier proposals and that UK users would be able to subscribe at a price closer to half that of some EU prices.

The pricing package would translate to up to £47.88 per year for a single account if a user maintains multiple profiles within Meta Accounts Center, though Meta described the primary plan as covering all accounts linked to a given center with additional per-account charges applying where relevant. The ICO highlighted the move as a test of how consent-based advertising models can work within UK law, and reiterated that the regime seeks to balance user privacy with the legitimate interests of online services.

The shift comes as regulatory sentiment on the tech industry continues to evolve. In a 2018 congressional hearing, Zuckerberg faced questions about whether Facebook would ever charge users to avoid ads, a line he later revisited in the context of regulatory pressure rather than a purely business decision. In 2019, Zuckerberg outlined his view that the internet should be regulated by governments and regulators in four areas—harmful content, election integrity, privacy, and data portability—and argued for reforms that would shape how platforms handle political advertising and data use while preserving the core freedoms the web offers. The current UK policy response frames those debates in concrete terms, tying enforcement to the practical user experience of data-driven advertising.

Industry observers say the UK’s approach could influence how other markets address data consent and monetization, though many noted that the economics of platform-free experiences depend heavily on platform costs, competition, and user demand. Meta has not announced an exact timetable for when all UK users will see the notification or when the paid option will become mandatory for those who wish to avoid ads, but officials said the rollout would occur in the coming weeks. The company emphasized that the option will be available to all UK Facebook and Instagram users aged 18 and over, with under-18 users experiencing no change to their standard experience.

As the ICO and Meta navigate the regulatory landscape, UK users will face a direct choice: continue using the free service with personalised ads or opt into an ad-free experience at a set monthly price. The decision highlights the broader tension between consumer privacy and the ongoing revenue models of some of the world’s largest social platforms, a tension that regulators say must be resolved through clear consent and user empowerment. The period ahead will reveal how well the model translates into user uptake and whether similar approaches gain traction in other jurisdictions.