Facebook changes its name to Meta

Facebook has changed its company name to Meta.

It is part of a rebrand for the company who want to expand into other areas like virtual reality (VR).

The name of its social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp won't change, just the parent company that owns them.

The word meta comes from the Greek language meaning beyond.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg speaks to an avatar of himself in the Metaverse

Mark Zuckerberg, boss of Facebook, announced the new name and explained his plans to create a metaverse, which the company say is "a place where we'll play and connect in 3D."

• Read Newsround's guide on what a metaverse is here

The social media giant is hiring 10,000 to develop this metaverse where you use the internet through virtual reality.

This virtual world wouldn't be for just gaming but you'd also be able to meet friends, work and go to concerts all through the metaverse.

At the company's headquarters in California they unveiled a new sign, changing from the old thumbs up logo to the new blue infinity shape.

Criticisms

Facebook revealed the new logo for Meta at their headquarters in California

Facebook's name change to Meta has been questioned.

Critics of the company say they have done this to move attention away from lots of negative stories about them.

This includes the recent reports from journalists at The Wall Street Journal, that Facebook, which owns Instagram, was hiding research it had done about how social media affects young people.

Instagram had carried out focus groups, surveys and diary studies into how young people felt using their app and they didn't share the results.

There were also leaked documents from an ex employee, Frances Haugen, who claimed the social media company put profits before user safety.

Zuckerberg said the reports are a way "to selectively use leaked documents to paint a false picture of our company".