‘It’s just really crappy’: Army families disappointed by MWR’s social media shutdown

With an Army directive ordering the closure Thursday of hundreds of social media accounts, families fear they are losing out on one of the most vital resources that connects them with their communities.

Each Army post offers mission-sustaining programs, events and activities for all ages through the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, which is funded in part through its own revenue instead of through Congress. A directive issued last month to close social media accounts associated with the Army except for those managed by Army headquarters, component commands and divisions and senior base commanders, has meant that MWR pages will also go dark.

The directive ends social media accounts managed by MWR programs across the globe that are dedicated to sharing local family programs, entertainment and holiday giveaways, travel and single-soldier activities. MWR operates youth sports, bingo halls, bowling and restaurants, which it also promotes through social media. Fees and advertising sales help fund its programs and keep the prices affordable for soldiers and families.

“The majority of the events we’ve attended, we weren’t actively looking for something to do. We learned about them because we followed the MWR pages and saw the posts announcing the specific event or resource,” said Emily DeHart, an Army spouse at Fort Hood in Texas.

Blue Star Families, a nonprofit that researches and advocates on behalf of military families, said its Military Family Lifestyle Survey found that families learn about resources through a variety of channels, including social media pages, military networks and personal connections.

“Our research suggests that these communication channels play an important role in helping families, especially those who have recently [changed duty stations], discover resources and connect with their new community,” a spokesperson for the organization said Thursday.

The Army announced a new directive that will consolidate local unit social media accounts into a streamlined network of authorized accounts for a more unified public presence. (Army Family and MWR Programs Facebook page)

The Army said MWR programs will now provide content directly to the main installation sites and does not expect any impact.

“The new Army social media directive consolidates thousands of localized unit pages into a focused network of authorized accounts to ensure a clear, unified voice, reduce operational risk and improve information access for soldiers, families and the public,” Army spokesperson Christopher Surridge said.

Alexandra Drew, an Army spouse in San Diego who has a career in social media marketing and communications, said industry standards show that a significant percentage of people today ages 19 and older “get their information and some form of news from social media.” The average person will click through about one link online before moving on, she said.

Data from the Pew Research Center released in 2025 shows that roughly 53% of U.S. adults get news from social media at least sometimes, and about 36% do so daily.

Losing social media “will harm our MWR programs,” Drew said.

“I love the Army, and I want to see it succeed,” she said. “Family is one of the most important things when it comes to Army values. On deployment, we hold it down in the back.”

These opportunities to talk with other families online and in person are vital to dealing with the stress of a loved one being sent overseas, Drew said.

MWR Facebook pages each posted messages directing people to find information through official websites or the Army’s garrison smartphone application.

In the remaining days of the Fort Hood MWR Facebook page, it promoted discounted tickets to Bell County Comic Con, an upcoming informational fair for families new to the base and a free movie outing for single soldiers.

“Who has the time to look at all the websites?” Tina Merker said. Her husband retired out of Fort Hood, and she said they remain active with on-post events and activities.

Between her children’s schools, city events and Fort Hood, social media made everything conveniently consolidated to one place. Facebook’s calendar app sends notifications to remind her about upcoming events she marked as interesting. She even once scored tickets to a NASCAR race through the Fort Hood MWR Facebook page, she said.

“I can see wanting to consolidate the unit pages and make sure what’s getting put out is what the Army wants to share,” Merker said. “I follow MWR … so I can see what’s going on. I hate that they took that away.”

Fort Sill’s Morale, Wellness and Recreation office helped host Freedom Fest in celebration of America’s 250th birthday on June 27, 2026. (Emaney Wilson/U.S. Army)

Audrina Heffner, an Army spouse and mother of six at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, said she began following the base’s MWR page on Facebook soon after she knew they were moving there from Fort Bragg, N.C.

Her 13-year-old son participates in the frequent runs hosted by Fort Sill MWR, and she said Facebook posts are a great reminder to get him registered. She also checks Facebook when weather may cancel an event because staff can quickly make updates.

“I’m sure there are reasons why they’re doing it, but coming from an outsider point of view, it’s really crappy,” she said. “I have them set as a favorite in my [Facebook] feed to make sure I don’t miss anything.”

Heffner has already gone to the alternatives recommended by Fort Sill MWR, the base phone app and a new email newsletter, which she had to dig out of her spam folder. She would like to see notifications possible in the app for MWR events, otherwise she said she only checks in for gate closures.

“There’s also an element of community engagement on social media that will not translate to a one-sided website of event listings,” Drew said.

“We’re creating more than just one-way communication paths,” she said.

While living at Fort Bragg, she said she loved to see the MWR marketing team leverage humor and trends to get engagement. People not only shared the information, but they also commented and spoke with each other.

Fort Sill MWR recently promoted a water gun and water balloon event Saturday at Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area. Afterward, a grandmother returned to the post to thank MWR for hosting because her grandson “had a blast.”

“We are so glad you had a good day,” a worker responded. “Come see us again before we close the beach for the season on Labor Day!”

Those engagements, Drew said, will be lost.