Social Media Privacy Settings Guide [2026]

Your social media privacy settings control who can see your content, who can contact you, and what data platforms collect about you. With growing privacy concerns and evolving regulations in 2026, understanding and properly configuring these settings is essential.

This guide covers privacy settings for all major platforms: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube. We'll show you exactly how to configure each platform for maximum privacy protection.

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Quick Privacy Checklist (All Platforms)

Use this checklist for every social media account:

• Enable two-factor authentication
• Review who can see your posts
• Turn off location sharing
• Limit who can message you
• Review connected apps and revoke unnecessary access
• Check your profile visibility in search
• Review what data the platform collects about you

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Instagram Privacy Settings

Understanding Instagram Privacy Basics

What Information Can Be Visible

Instagram collects and potentially displays various types of data:

Profile Data:

• Profile picture and username
• Bio and website link
• Phone number and email (if added)
• Location and address (for business accounts)
• Posts, stories, and highlights

Activity Data:

• When you were last active
• Online status indicators
• Mutual connections and followers
• Liked posts and comments
• Tagged locations and check-ins

Contact Details:

• Phone number visibility
• Email address display
• Business contact buttons
• Linked social media accounts

Complete Privacy Settings Walkthrough

Accessing Instagram Privacy Settings

Step 1: Open Settings Menu

1. Go to your Instagram profile
2. Tap the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top right
3. Select "Settings and privacy"
4. Choose "Privacy" from the options

Step 2: Navigate Privacy Sections The privacy menu includes several important sections:

• Account privacy
• Interactions
• Messaging
• Story and live settings
• Tags and mentions

Account Privacy Settings

Private vs Public Accounts

Public Account Features:

• Anyone can see your posts and stories
• Your profile appears in search results
• Non-followers can tag you and mention you
• Your content can be shared and embedded

Private Account Features:

• Only approved followers see your content
• You must approve follower requests
• Your profile is hidden from searches
• Non-followers cannot tag you directly

How to Make Your Account Private:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Privacy
2. Toggle "Private account" to on
3. Existing followers remain, but new users must request to follow

Activity Status Control

What Activity Status Shows:

• When you were last active on Instagram
• Whether you're currently online
• Your activity across Facebook family apps

How to Turn Off Activity Status:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Privacy
2. Select "Activity status"
3. Toggle off "Show activity status"
4. This also hides others' activity status from you

Story and Live Privacy Settings

Story Visibility Controls

Story Privacy Options:

• All followers: Everyone who follows you
• Close friends: Selected group of close contacts
• Custom: Specific followers you choose
• Hide from: Exclude specific people

How to Manage Story Privacy:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Privacy
2. Select "Story and live"
3. Choose "Story" settings
4. Select your preferred visibility option

Story Interaction Settings

Control Who Can:

• Reply to your stories
• Share your stories to their stories
• Save your story content
• See story viewer lists

Story Privacy Best Practices:

• Use Close Friends for personal content
• Hide stories from ex-partners or professional contacts
• Regular review of story viewer permissions
• Be selective about story highlights

Messaging and Communication Privacy

Message Settings

Direct Message Controls:

• Who can send you messages
• Message requests from non-followers
• Read receipt visibility
• Message replay permissions

Recommended Message Settings:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Privacy
2. Select "Messages and story replies"
3. Choose "People you follow" for safer messaging
4. Turn off read receipts if desired

For complete control over your DMs, see our guide on how to turn off Instagram DMs to stop unwanted messages entirely.

Comment and Interaction Controls

Comment Privacy Settings:

• Who can comment on your posts
• Comment filtering and moderation
• Keyword filtering for offensive content
• Manual comment approval

Tag and Mention Settings:

• Who can tag you in posts
• Manual approval for tags
• Who can mention you in comments
• Mention notifications control

Contact Information Privacy

Phone Number and Email Visibility

Many users don't realize their contact information might be visible:

Check Your Contact Information Visibility:

1. Use our Instagram Privacy Checker tool
2. Review what information appears on your profile
3. Remove unnecessary contact details

How to Hide Contact Details:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Personal details
2. Remove phone number if not needed
3. Unlink email address from public display
4. Turn off contact buttons for business accounts

Business Account Considerations

Business Account Data:

• Contact buttons (call, email, directions)
• Business category and description
• Location and hours of operation
• Website and additional links

Business Privacy Tips:

• Only add necessary contact methods
• Use business phone numbers, not personal
• Consider using contact forms instead of direct email
• Regularly review displayed information

Advanced Privacy Protection

Two-Factor Authentication

Why Use Two-Factor Authentication:

• Prevents unauthorized account access
• Protects against password breaches
• Adds extra security layer
• Required for business account security

How to Enable Two-Factor Authentication:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Security
2. Select "Two-factor authentication"
3. Choose between SMS or authentication app
4. Follow setup instructions
5. Save backup codes securely

Login Activity Monitoring

Track Account Access:

• See all active login sessions
• Monitor login locations and devices
• Identify suspicious activity
• Log out from unfamiliar devices

How to Check Login Activity:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Security
2. Select "Login activity"
3. Review recent logins
4. Log out from unrecognized sessions

App and Website Permissions

Review Connected Apps:

• Third-party apps with Instagram access
• Social media management tools
• Photo editing applications
• Analytics and scheduling platforms

How to Manage App Permissions:

1. Go to Settings and privacy > Website permissions
2. Review connected applications
3. Remove unnecessary app access
4. Regularly audit permissions

Privacy Settings for Different User Types

Personal Account Privacy

Recommended Settings for Personal Use:

• Private account enabled
• Activity status turned off
• Limited story visibility
• Restricted message requests
• Manual tag approval

Additional Personal Privacy Tips:

• Regularly review follower list
• Be selective about story highlights
• Avoid sharing location in real-time
• Use Close Friends feature frequently

Business Account Privacy

Balancing Business Needs and Privacy:

• Public account for discoverability
• Professional contact information only
• Strategic story privacy settings
• Moderated comments and messages

Business Privacy Considerations:

• Separate personal and business content
• Use business-specific contact details
• Monitor customer interactions
• Protect proprietary business information

Content Creator Privacy

Creator-Specific Settings:

• Public account for audience growth
• Selective story sharing
• Professional communication channels
• Brand safety measures

Creator Privacy Strategies:

• Separate personal life from content
• Use professional contact methods
• Monitor audience interactions
• Protect personal relationships

Common Privacy Mistakes to Avoid

Oversharing Personal Information

Information to Keep Private:

• Home address and exact location
• Personal phone number
• Private email addresses
• Financial information
• Family member details

Inadequate Story Privacy

Story Privacy Errors:

• Sharing personal moments publicly
• Including sensitive location data
• Showing private information accidentally
• Not using Close Friends appropriately

Poor Contact Management

Contact Information Mistakes:

• Using personal phone for business
• Public display of all contact methods
• Not updating outdated information
• Ignoring contact form alternatives

Privacy Tools and Resources

Built-in Instagram Tools

Native Privacy Features:

• Privacy settings menu
• Close Friends lists
• Story highlights privacy
• Comment moderation tools
• Block and restrict features

Third-Party Privacy Tools

External Privacy Resources:

• Instagram Privacy Checker: Analyze your privacy settings
• VPN services for secure browsing
• Password managers for account security
• Privacy-focused browsers and extensions

Privacy Monitoring

Regular Privacy Checkups:

• Monthly settings review
• Quarterly follower list audit
• Annual contact information update
• Ongoing app permissions review

Legal and Regional Privacy Considerations

GDPR and Data Protection

European Privacy Rights:

• Right to data portability
• Right to account deletion
• Right to data correction
• Right to know data usage

Regional Privacy Laws

Consider Local Regulations:

• CCPA in California
• LGPD in Brazil
• PIPEDA in Canada
• Local data protection laws

Privacy Settings for Families

Teen Account Protection

Settings for Teenage Users:

• Private account mandatory
• Limited contact information
• Restricted messaging from strangers
• Parent supervision tools

Family Account Management

Managing Multiple Accounts:

• Consistent privacy standards
• Regular family privacy discussions
• Shared privacy best practices
• Coordinated security measures

Responding to Privacy Breaches

Signs of Privacy Compromise

Warning Signs:

• Unexpected login notifications
• Unfamiliar posts or comments
• Changes to account settings
• Suspicious follower activity

Response Steps

If Your Privacy is Compromised:

1. Change your password immediately
2. Enable two-factor authentication
3. Review and revoke app permissions
4. Check recent account activity
5. Report the incident to Instagram
6. Notify affected contacts if necessary

Privacy Settings Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure your Instagram privacy is properly configured:

Basic Privacy Settings

• Account set to private (if desired)
• Activity status turned off
• Two-factor authentication enabled
• Strong, unique password set

Contact Information

• Phone number privacy reviewed
• Email address visibility checked
• Unnecessary contact methods removed
• Business information accuracy verified

Content Privacy

• Story privacy settings configured
• Close Friends list created and maintained
• Tag approval settings enabled
• Comment moderation activated

Communication Settings

• Message request settings configured
• Comment filtering enabled
• Mention settings reviewed
• Block and restrict lists maintained

Regular Maintenance

• Monthly privacy settings review
• Quarterly follower list audit
• Annual contact information update
• Ongoing app permissions review

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I make my Instagram account completely private?

To make your Instagram account completely private: 1) Go to Settings > Privacy and turn on 'Private account', 2) Turn off 'Activity status', 3) Set Story visibility to 'Close Friends' only, 4) Restrict who can message you to 'People you follow', 5) Hide your contact information, and 6) Enable two-factor authentication for security.

Can people see if I view their Instagram stories if my account is private?

Yes, people can still see if you view their Instagram stories even if your account is private. Story viewers are always visible to the story creator, regardless of your account privacy settings. The only way to view stories anonymously is to not view them at all.

What's the difference between blocking and restricting someone on Instagram?

Blocking completely prevents someone from seeing your profile and content, while restricting allows them to see your posts but hides their comments from others and moves their messages to your message requests. Restricting is more discreet - they won't know they've been restricted.

How do I hide my phone number and email from my Instagram profile?

To hide contact information: Go to Settings > Personal details and remove your phone number and email address. For business accounts, go to your profile, tap 'Edit profile', and remove contact information or turn off contact buttons that display this information publicly.

Can Instagram see my private messages and photos?

Instagram can access your private messages and photos as outlined in their privacy policy. They use this data for content moderation, ad targeting, and platform improvement. While they don't manually review private content routinely, it's accessible to automated systems and can be reviewed if reported or flagged.

How often should I review my Instagram privacy settings?

Review your Instagram privacy settings monthly for basic maintenance, quarterly for comprehensive audits, and immediately after any major platform updates. Also review settings when you notice unusual activity, change your relationship status, or start/end employment that might affect your privacy needs.

What happens to my privacy settings if I switch from personal to business account?

When you switch to a business account, your account automatically becomes public and certain contact information may become visible. Business accounts cannot be private, but you can still control story visibility, message requests, comment settings, and other privacy features.

Is my Instagram search history private?

Your Instagram search history is private to your account, but Instagram uses this data for ad targeting and content recommendations. You can clear your search history by going to Settings > Security > Clear search history. However, Instagram may still retain some data for their internal analytics.

Can I prevent people from taking screenshots of my Instagram stories?

No, you cannot prevent people from taking screenshots of your Instagram stories. Instagram used to notify users when someone took a screenshot of their story, but this feature was removed. The only way to control this is by carefully choosing what you share and using Close Friends for sensitive content.

How do I stop Instagram from tracking my location?

To stop location tracking: 1) Turn off location services for Instagram in your phone's settings, 2) Don't add location tags to posts and stories, 3) Turn off 'Precise Location' in your phone's Instagram app settings, and 4) Regularly review and delete location data from your Instagram activity history.

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Facebook Privacy Settings

How to Access Facebook Privacy Settings

1. Click the down arrow (or your profile picture) in the top right
2. Select Settings & privacy → Settings
3. Click Privacy in the left sidebar

Key Facebook Privacy Settings

Who Can See Your Posts:

• Go to Settings → Privacy → Your activity
• Choose "Friends," "Friends except," or "Only me"
• Review past posts and limit their visibility

Who Can Find You:

• Control who can send friend requests
• Limit who can look you up using email/phone
• Turn off search engine indexing of your profile

Profile Visibility:

• Control who sees your friends list
• Hide pages and groups you've liked
• Manage who can see your relationship status

Location and Tagging:

• Turn off location history
• Review tags before they appear on your profile
• Control who can tag you in posts and photos

Facebook Privacy Checkup Tool

Facebook offers a built-in Privacy Checkup:

1. Go to Settings → Privacy
2. Click Privacy Checkup
3. Review each category: Profile, Posts, Apps, etc.

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TikTok Privacy Settings

How to Access TikTok Privacy Settings

1. Open TikTok and go to your Profile
2. Tap the three lines (menu) in the top right
3. Select Settings and privacy → Privacy

Key TikTok Privacy Settings

Account Visibility:

• Private account: Only approved followers see your content
• Suggest account to others: Turn off to reduce discoverability

Interactions:

• Who can comment on your videos
• Who can Duet or Stitch your content
• Who can send you direct messages
• Who can download your videos

Activity Status:

• Turn off to hide when you were last active

Personalization and Data:

• Manage ad personalization
• Download your data
• Clear watch history

TikTok-Specific Privacy Concerns

TikTok collects significant data. Consider:

• Turning off personalized ads
• Disabling precise location access
• Regularly clearing search and watch history
• Reviewing connected apps

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X (Twitter) Privacy Settings

How to Access X Privacy Settings

1. Click More in the left sidebar
2. Select Settings and Support → Settings and privacy
3. Click Privacy and safety

Key X Privacy Settings

Protect Your Posts:

• Turn on "Protect your posts" to make your account private
• Only approved followers will see your content

Discoverability:

• Control email and phone number discoverability
• Turn off "Let others find you" in search

Direct Messages:

• Control who can message you
• Filter message requests from unknown accounts

Data Sharing:

• Review ads preferences
• Control data sharing with partners
• Turn off personalization based on inferred identity

Location:

• Remove location information from posts
• Turn off precise location sharing

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LinkedIn Privacy Settings

How to Access LinkedIn Privacy Settings

1. Click your profile picture (top right)
2. Select Settings & Privacy
3. Click Visibility or Data privacy

Key LinkedIn Privacy Settings

Profile Visibility:

• Control who sees your connections
• Manage profile viewing options
• Control who can see your last name

Activity Visibility:

• Hide profile views from others (also hides who viewed yours)
• Control sharing of profile changes with network

Job Seeking:

• Signal to recruiters without alerting current employer
• Control who sees your job applications

Data and Advertising:

• Manage advertising preferences
• Download your data
• Control third-party data sharing

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YouTube Privacy Settings

How to Access YouTube Privacy Settings

1. Click your profile picture (top right)
2. Select Settings → Privacy

Key YouTube Privacy Settings

Channel Privacy:

• Make subscriptions public or private
• Hide liked videos
• Control who can see saved playlists

Watch History:

• Pause watch history (affects recommendations)
• Clear watch history periodically

Search History:

• Pause search history
• Clear search history

Comments:

• Hold potentially inappropriate comments for review
• Block specific words

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General Privacy Best Practices

For All Platforms

1. Use strong, unique passwords — At least 12 characters with mixed case, numbers, and symbols
2. Enable two-factor authentication — Use an authenticator app, not SMS
3. Review connected apps regularly — Remove any you don't recognize or use
4. Be cautious with location sharing — Share locations only after leaving, if at all
5. Audit your privacy settings quarterly — Platforms change settings frequently
6. Use privacy-focused browsers — When accessing social media on web
7. Check what data platforms have — Request and review your data periodically

What to Never Share Publicly

• Home address or exact location
• Phone number and personal email
• Financial information
• Travel plans in real-time
• Children's school names or locations
• Information about your workplace security
• Passwords or security question answers

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Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I check my privacy settings?

Review your privacy settings on each platform quarterly (every 3 months). Also check immediately after major platform updates, as new features sometimes have default settings that share more than you expect.

Can I use the same privacy settings across all platforms?

No, each platform has different options and defaults. What's "private" on one platform may not exist on another. Review each platform's specific settings rather than assuming they work the same way.

Do privacy settings protect me from data collection?

Privacy settings control what other users can see, but platforms still collect data about your activity. To limit data collection, review the "Data and advertising" or "Personalization" sections of each platform's settings.

What's the most important privacy setting?

Two-factor authentication. If someone gains access to your account, they can see everything regardless of your other privacy settings. Enable 2FA on every account, preferably using an authenticator app rather than SMS.

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Protecting your privacy on social media requires ongoing attention. Set a quarterly reminder to review settings on each platform, especially after major updates. Use our Instagram Privacy Checker to audit your Instagram configuration.

Privacy settings are just one part of digital security. Combine proper settings with smart sharing practices—think before posting, and remember that anything shared online can potentially be screenshot and shared further.

Related Guides

• How to Unblock Someone on Instagram
• Instagram Restrict Feature Guide
• How to Delete or Deactivate Instagram
• Who Doesn't Follow Me Back on Instagram