Meta is failing. Reddit is rising.
Are you reading this because your brand is on social media life support right now?
You're not imagining things. Engagement viewership, and overall participation is in the gutter. Except now, the algorithm isn't the only thing to blame.
Policy restrictions have suppressed and removed adult-themed content for years. Right now, everyday users (specifically people who don't consume sexual wellness content) and mainstream brands are starting to experience the algorithm bias for themselves. As a result, social media users are abandoning platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok more every day.
Why are people leaving Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in 2026?
Between the onslaught of AI content, ads, a relentless news cycle, the fresh squeeze on free speech and social media fatigue, users are abandoning many community-based platforms like Meta and TikTok.
In January, TikTok announced its new US-based corporate ownership structure. Along with that came an update to TT's Terms of Service Agreement, which that is causing users to flee because TikTok won't let users remove their geolocation.
Marketing professionals are navigating the AI shift, making it "harder to tell what's real anymore." (Whether their clients acknowledge it is a different story.)
Bots. Influencers. Ads. Brainrot. People are over it. They are seeking anonymity and real interaction over consumption.
Where are people going instead of Instagram and Facebook?
Many are spending more time on online forums like Reddit.
(There are a slew of more threads & comments expressing the same sentiment on Reddit. These were plucked from the first post I saw today.)
Many are doubling down on open-source apps like Discord, and private messaging platforms like Signal.
Writers are building communities on Substack. (Though I've heard mumblings of their content policy being as risky as Meta.
Bluesky hasn't clicked yet.
Lemon8 was hot for a few days in 2025 until everyone realized it was owned by TikTok.
No idea what's going on with rednote, haven't heard much about it lately.
UpScroll seems to be gaining traction this week.
It's all so much to keep up with.
What should sexual wellness brands do about social media?
It took at least a decade for mom + pop businesses in the adult novelty industry to warm up to social media. Right as the majority caught up, it’s time to adapt all over again.
Not sure where to go next? Here are three honest takes:
1: You''ll keep being suppressed by the algorithm on Meta or TikTok, or sacrifice even less visibility as people keep leaving. Either way, you'll end up re-building a community elsewhere. It just depends on how long you choose to ride this out.
2: It doesn't matter what the platform is. The one & only thing that matters is where your customers spend time.
3: Your customers are already using Reddit. And they aren't just customers; they're people sharing lived experiences in real time, no filter.
See the last sentence of that screenshot:
"The drama of the average joe is so much more gratifying (I'm looking at you r/choosingbeggars and r/sex)."
Most people don't interact in sex Subreddits. But they're watching.
Why should you use Reddit for business in 2026?
Your helpful comment could lead to a purchase - and even a repeat customer - in a year or two from now. You never know who's watching, and Reddit threads live on the internet forever (for now).
Most people sleep on Reddit because they don't see instant gratification. Tsk, tsk.
Here's how sexual wellness brands & sex educators can use Reddit for business:
Sexual wellness product manufacturers: If you create products to solve real problems, don't defer to what your competitors are making. Go look at what folks are struggling with in their sex lives or relationships at an y given moment.
Sexual health educators: AI topics are generic slop. There are a ton of sex-positive subreddits to dig into. Example: r/SexlessMarriage will stack your swipe file for eternity.
Adult novelty retailers: Create an account, put your store link in your bio, and drop your knowledge in all of the Reddit threads that fire up your inner educator.
I'll save the extensive tips for how to market your business on Reddit without looking like an *sshole for another day.
In the meantime, go poke around Reddit. Not as an advertiser or a participant.
As a spectator. A researcher. A sponge.
By the time you finish your next Instagram Reel, your customer decided what to buy because of a single Reddit comment.