communication
Social Media Safety
A structured guide for adjusting social media use when safety is uncertain.
communicationsocial media
DIGITAL SAFETY
Social Media Safety
Privacy Settings
Options to review on most platforms:
- Set your account to:
- Private / friends-only for posts
- Review-before-tag for photos and check-ins
- Approve followers or friend requests manually
- Limit who can see:
- Past posts (bulk “limit audience” tools if available)
- Stories and live videos
- Friends list, followers list, or groups you belong to
- Who can comment or reply to your posts
- Control how you appear:
- Decide whether your profile shows up in search engines
- Check if people can find you by phone number or email
- Review “People you may know” and contact upload settings
- Check account recovery options:
- Update email and phone number to ones your partner cannot access
- Turn on multi-factor authentication where possible
- Review trusted contacts or backup codes and remove anyone unsafe
On each platform, the Privacy or Settings area usually has an overview page. It can help to go through each section slowly and adjust one option at a time.
Hiding Followers and Connections
Ways to reduce what others can see about your network:
- Friends / followers lists:
- Set “Who can see your friends/followers list?” to “Only me” or a custom list
- Hide mutual connections where the platform allows it
- Group and community activity:
- Check whether groups you join are public, closed, or private
- Hide or remove group memberships that could reveal your plans or location
- Turn off automatic posting to your timeline when you join a group or event
- Follower management:
- Remove or block accounts you do not recognize or do not trust
- Use “restricted” or “close friends” lists to limit what specific people see
- Turn off “show activity status” if available (online/last seen indicators)
- Tagged connections:
- Review photos and posts you are tagged in
- Remove tags or limit who can see tagged content
- Turn on manual review for future tags
Location Settings
Options to check both on your device and in each app:
- On your phone or tablet:
- Open device Location settings and review:
- Which apps can access your location
- Whether access is “Always”, “While using the app”, or “Never”
- Turn off background location for social apps when not needed
- Review system-wide location sharing (e.g., “Find My” or similar services)
- Open device Location settings and review:
- Inside social media apps:
- Turn off automatic location tagging on posts and stories
- Disable “nearby friends” or “people nearby” features
- Check map or “places you’ve visited” features and clear history if needed
- Turn off location sharing in direct messages or live streams
- Photos and check-ins:
- Avoid posting your current location in real time if you are concerned about monitoring
- Consider sharing location posts after you have left the place
- Review older posts for location tags that could reveal routines
- Connected apps and devices:
- Check if fitness apps, ride services, or check-in apps share to your social media
- Disconnect any services that automatically post your location
Message Filtering
Ways to control who can contact you and what appears in your inbox:
- Incoming messages:
- Set “Who can message you?” to friends, followers, or “no one” where available
- Use message request folders to keep unknown senders out of your main inbox
- Turn on filters that hide message requests from people you do not follow
- Content filters:
- Enable filters for offensive or abusive words where offered
- Create custom word or phrase lists to automatically hide certain messages
- Mute message notifications from specific chats while keeping messages available if needed for documentation
- Blocking and restrictions:
- Block accounts that are harassing or monitoring you
- Use “restrict” or “limit” features so someone can message you but not see your activity fully
- Review blocked lists regularly to confirm they match your current safety needs
- Cross-platform connections:
- Check if one platform allows messages from another (for example, linked apps)
- Turn off cross-app messaging if it creates extra contact routes
Many platforms update their safety and privacy tools regularly. Up-to-date explanations and additional support options are often listed on platform help pages and on neutral resource hubs such as DV.Support.