Social media is a wonderful way to stay in touch, share family moments and follow your interests. But every photo, check-in and comment you post can be seen, saved and misused by people you have never met. A public post showing your new car, your child's school uniform or your boarding pass can tell a stranger far more than you intended. This is Part 37 of our Tech for Beginners series. Today we will look at private and public profiles, tagging, location sharing and old posts on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, use the built-in privacy check-up tools, and learn what you should never post.
Your social media accounts need strong, unique passwords, as explained in Part 20, and two-factor authentication from Part 21. Fraudsters often use details found on public profiles to make the scams in Part 25 more convincing.
A note on changes: Facebook, Instagram and YouTube change their menus and feature names often, and the app and website can look different. Use the search box inside each app's settings if you cannot find an option. The principles below stay the same even when buttons move.
Public or private: what is the difference?
- Public: anyone on the internet can see what you post, including strangers, scammers and search engines.
- Friends or followers only (private): only people you have accepted can see your posts.
For most families, a private profile is the safer choice. Some things, such as your name and profile photo, may still be visible to everyone, so choose them with care.
Facebook privacy settings
Run the Privacy Checkup
- Tap the menu (your profile picture or three lines) and open Settings & privacy > Settings.
- Look for Privacy Checkup and go through each topic: who can see what you share, how people can find you, your data settings and how to keep your account secure.
Key settings to change
- Who can see your future posts: set to Friends. You can also choose the audience each time you post, using the small button under your name.
- Limit past posts: look for this option in the privacy settings. It changes old public posts to Friends in one go.
- Who can send you friend requests and who can look you up by phone number or email: limit these to Friends of friends or Friends.
- Profile and tagging: turn on review posts you are tagged in before they appear on your profile.
- Profile lock: in some regions, including India, Facebook has offered a Lock profile option from the three dots on your profile. If you see it, it hides most of your profile from people who are not friends.
Friend requests
Do not accept requests from strangers, or from a "second account" of someone already on your friends list. Fake profiles copying a real person's photo and name are often used to ask friends for money.
Instagram privacy settings
- Open your profile, tap the three lines and go to Settings and activity.
- Under Account privacy, turn on Private account. Now only followers you approve can see your posts and stories.
- Under Tags and mentions, choose who can tag you and turn on manual approval of tags.
- Under Messages, limit who can message you, so strangers' messages go to requests.
- Use Close Friends for stories you want only a small group to see.
- Use Hidden words and comment controls to filter abusive comments.
Instagram and Facebook are owned by Meta, and some settings, such as passwords and security, are managed in Accounts Center. Check Password and security > Where you're logged in to log out devices you do not recognise.
YouTube privacy settings
Most people only watch YouTube, but your account still holds information.
- Your subscriptions and saved playlists: in YouTube settings, look for privacy options to keep your subscriptions and playlists private.
- Uploading videos: each video can be Public, Unlisted (only people with the link can see it) or Private (only you and people you choose). Family videos are best kept Unlisted or Private.
- Watch and search history: you can pause or delete it in your Google account settings.
- Children: use Restricted Mode or a supervised account for young children, and YouTube Kids for little ones.
- Comments: be careful what you write; comments are public and linked to your channel name.
Location sharing
- Turn off location tagging on posts by default. Instagram and Facebook allow you to add a location; simply do not add it.
- Photos can carry hidden location information. Check your camera settings and turn off saving location if you do not need it.
- Post holiday photos after you return home, not while your house is empty.
- Avoid "live" location sharing on social media apps except with close family.
Cleaning up old posts
That public post from 2015 with your phone number, or a photo of your old address, may still be visible.
- Open your profile and scroll through old posts, or use the Activity log (Facebook) or Your activity (Instagram) to review them.
- Change the audience to Friends, archive or delete posts you no longer want public.
- Use the Limit past posts option on Facebook to change many old posts at once.
- Remove your phone number and email from the visible "About" section of your profile.
What you should never post
- Tickets and boarding passes: their barcodes and PNR can reveal your booking details.
- Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence: never post photos of identity documents, even partly covered.
- Bank cards, cheques and bank statements.
- Your home address, house number or a photo of your gate with the address visible.
- Children's school name, uniform badge or daily routine.
- OTPs, passwords or screenshots that show account details.
- Your exact date of birth on a public profile: it is often used to answer security questions.
- Car number plate and new vehicle photos with the registration clearly readable.
Check how others see your profile
Facebook has offered a View as option from the three dots on your profile, which shows what a stranger sees. On Instagram, ask a friend who does not follow you to check. You might be surprised what is visible.
Keep your accounts secure
- Use a strong, unique password for each account.
- Turn on two-factor authentication in each app's security settings.
- Add a recovery email and phone number you control.
- Be wary of messages saying your account will be "deleted for copyright violation" or "verified with a blue tick" if you click a link. These are phishing attempts.
- Never log in to social media through links sent in messages; open the app directly.
Be careful who you talk to
Social media makes it easy for strangers to approach you with friendly messages. Some common patterns to watch for:
- Romance and friendship scams: an attractive stranger builds a friendship over weeks, then asks for money for a "medical emergency", a "customs fee" for a gift, or an investment.
- Fake job offers: messages offering money for liking videos or writing reviews, which lead to the task scams described in Part 25.
- Fake sellers: pages selling phones, clothes or puppies at very low prices, asking for advance payment by UPI.
- Video call traps: a stranger starts a video call that is recorded and later used for blackmail. Do not accept video calls from unknown people.
If anyone you have only met online asks for money, documents or private photos, stop and talk to someone you trust.
A quick monthly check
- Review new followers or friend requests and remove anyone you do not know.
- Check where you are logged in and log out old devices.
- Glance at your most recent posts and confirm their audience.
- Check the apps and websites connected to your Facebook or Google account, and remove ones you no longer use, such as old quiz apps.
Frequently asked questions
If my account is private, is everything I post safe?
Not completely. Your followers or friends can still take screenshots and share your posts. Post only what you would be comfortable seeing shared.
Someone made a fake profile with my photo. What should I do?
Report the profile using the app's Report option and choose "pretending to be me" or "pretending to be someone". Warn your friends not to accept requests or send money. If it is used for fraud or harassment, you can report it on cybercrime.gov.in.
Should children have social media accounts?
The platforms set minimum ages in their rules, usually 13. Even for older children, use private accounts, supervision tools and regular conversations about what is safe to share.
What should I do if a private photo of me is shared online?
Report the post on the platform at once, save screenshots and the link as evidence, and file a complaint on cybercrime.gov.in, which has a section for crimes against women and children. Tell someone you trust; you do not have to handle it alone.
What is next
Try this today: make one of your social media accounts private, turn on tag review, and delete or limit one old post that shows personal details. In the next part of Tech for Beginners, we will learn how to fact-check fake news and forwards before sharing them.
