Tech Desk 
Sep 05, 2025
Facebook's famous poke feature, which was a mainstay of the social media platform's early days, is being brought back in a calculated attempt to boost user interaction, according to Meta.
Meta is now highlighting the feature to encourage greater engagement after noticing a resurgence in younger users' use of it. Users can enable poke feature with a special button on their profiles to poke their friends directly.
Additionally, users will be able to track their "poke counts" with friends on a new page called facebook.com/pokes, which will gamify the experience by displaying who has poked them.
As users accrue poke counts, they will see different icons, like a fire emoji or "100," next to the names of their friends.
What to expect from Facebook's poke feature?
The intent behind the poke feature is still up for debate; users are free to use it to flirt, start a conversation, or just have fun.
Reviving the feature is a part of Meta's larger strategy to attract younger users, whose numbers on the platform have been dropping. This way, Meta aims to regain the youth market, which also includes a redesign geared towards Generation Z.
However, given worries about how addictive similar features like TikTok streaks and Snapchat can be, the company's approach might come under scrutiny.
According to research conducted by author Jon Haidt of "The Anxious Generation", these characteristics have the potential to create habits, especially in young people.
As Facebook develops further, user engagement and adoption will determine how well the updated poke feature performs.
With its cash cow platform supporting longer-term investments in fields like artificial intelligence and metaverse initiatives, Meta's attempts to resurrect Facebook's appeal to younger users will be closely monitored.
