After Instagram, Meta's unskippable ad breaks arrive on Facebook

Scrolling through your Facebook feed, enjoying memes and cat videos, and then—bam! You’re stopped in your tracks by an ad with a countdown. That’s right: Facebook is now rolling out unskippable ads, a feature that Instagram users discovered (and complained about) last summer.

A Facebook user in Europe recently posted a screenshot of one of these “ad breaks,” where you can’t scroll past an ad until a timer runs out. In this example, an ad for a plant sale paused their scrolling, reminding them of Instagram’s unskippable ads feature rolled out in June 2024.

These ads aren’t random. Meta — the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — announced in November 2024 that “ad breaks” would be introduced to support less personalized ads. Why? Because privacy laws in the EU are pushing big platforms like Meta to offer users more control over their data. The catch? Less data for ads means fewer relevant ads, and Meta has decided that unskippable ads are the way to make up for it.

Instagram first tested unskippable ads last summer, calling them a way to “drive value for advertisers.” Users quickly noticed that after scrolling for a bit, their feed would freeze on an ad, with a countdown timer letting them know when they could keep scrolling. At the time, Instagram defended the move by saying it was all about finding new ways to connect advertisers with audiences.

And now, it seems, Facebook is following in its sibling app’s footsteps.

Here’s the deal: Meta is balancing between two worlds. EU users now have the choice to either:

1. Pay for an ad-free Facebook and Instagram experience.
2. Continue using the platforms for free but deal with ads — some of which are now unskippable.

Meta promised in their November 2024 announcement that they’d slash the price of their ad-free subscription by 40%, making it more affordable. But for those sticking with the free version, Meta warned that less personalized ads would inevitably be less relevant. To sweeten the deal for advertisers, Meta is introducing these unskippable ad breaks to reach broader audiences.

So, why the sudden arrival of unskippable ads on Facebook? This rollout is part of Meta’s commitment to keeping the platform free while meeting advertisers’ needs. Meta wants to ensure advertisers still see value, even when personalized data is limited. It’s a tricky balancing act, and for users, it means adjusting to these ad pauses.

Meta promises that users in the EU will have the option to adjust their ad settings and decide how they want their data used. Whether you choose less personalized ads or go ad-free entirely, it seems ad breaks are here to stay — unless you opt for the subscription route.

In the meantime, let’s face it: a few seconds of waiting for your feed to resume might not sound like much, but it’s enough to disrupt the endless scroll we’ve all come to love (and hate). Love it or loathe it, the unskippable ad era is officially here, and it’s not going anywhere.

Now, what do you think — are these ad breaks tolerable, or is it time to consider that subscription? Let us know in the comments.