Privacy Tips for Social Media
It all begins with an idea.
Why Social Media Privacy Matters
Social media makes it easy to connect, share, and network — but it also exposes personal details to strangers, scammers, and companies tracking your activity. Without the right settings, you could be sharing more than you think.
This guide will walk you through quick, actionable steps to secure your accounts, protect your personal information, and reduce your online risk.
🔐 Step 1: Secure Your Accounts
Turn on Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Add a second layer of security so even if your password is stolen, attackers can’t log in.
Use strong, unique passwords: A password manager can generate and store them for you.
Review connected apps: Remove any third-party apps you no longer use.
💡 Tip: Visit Have I Been Pwned to check if your email has been in a data breach.
👁️ Step 2: Control Who Sees Your Information
Set your profile to Friends Only or Private on each platform.
Limit your friends list visibility so strangers can’t see your network.
Turn off location sharing for posts and stories.
Review your tagging settings so only you can approve tagged photos before they appear.
🛡️ Step 3: Be Smart About What You Share
Avoid posting your full birth date, home address, or daily location.
Think before announcing vacations or travel plans publicly.
Don’t overshare personal or work information that could be used in scams.
📱 Step 4: Platform-Specific Privacy Settings
(Follow these mini guides to lock down your accounts.)
Go to Settings → Privacy → Who Can See Your Future Posts → Select Friends.
Under Face Recognition, turn it Off.
In Timeline & Tagging, set review for all tagged posts.
Go to Settings → Privacy → Toggle Private Account.
Disable Activity Status so people can’t see when you’re online.
Turn off Location Services for Instagram in your phone settings.
TikTok
Go to Settings → Privacy → Toggle Private Account.
Limit Who Can Comment to Friends.
Disable Suggest Your Account to Others.
Go to Settings → Visibility → Profile Viewing Options → Choose Private Mode.
Limit Who Can See Your Connections to Only You.
Review Public Profile Settings to hide personal info.
✅ Quick Privacy Checklist
(Tick these off as you go — copy to Notes or print.)
2FA enabled on all accounts
Strong, unique passwords in use
Profiles set to Private/Friends Only
Location sharing disabled
Tag review turned on
Connected apps reviewed and cleaned up