Social Media Safety
7 minute read
Keep your accounts and personal info secure.
Social media connects us, but it also exposes us. Here’s how to stay safe while staying social.
What Scammers Learn From Your Profile
Before you post, consider what you’re revealing:
| What You Share | How It Can Be Used |
|---|---|
| Birthday (with year) | Identity theft, security questions |
| Pet’s name | Common password/security question |
| Vacation photos (while traveling) | Your house is empty |
| Kids’ school | Location tracking, targeting |
| “First car” memes | Security question answers |
| Workplace | Targeted phishing |
| Daily routine | Stalking, burglary |
Those fun “Get to know me!” surveys? They’re often harvesting security question answers.
Privacy Settings to Check Now
Settings → Privacy:
- Who can see your posts? → Friends (not Public)
- Who can send you friend requests? → Friends of friends
- Who can look you up by email/phone? → Friends
Settings → Profile and Tagging:
- Who can post on your profile? → Friends
- Review posts you’re tagged in → On
Settings → Privacy:
- Private account → Consider turning on
- Who can message you → Limit to followers
- Who can tag you → Review tags first
Settings → Visibility:
- Profile viewing options → Consider private mode
- Who can see your connections → Only you (prevents mapping your network)
TikTok
Settings → Privacy:
- Private account → Consider for personal accounts
- Who can comment → Friends or no one
- Who can download your videos → Off
Do this quarterly — platforms change settings and add new features often.
Friend and Connection Requests
Red flags for fake accounts:
- No mutual friends/connections
- Very new account
- Profile photo looks like a model or stock image
- Generic, incomplete, or inconsistent profile
- Immediately sends flirty or business messages
- Profile pics that seem too perfect (may be AI-generated)
What scammers do with fake connections:
- Romance scams — Build fake relationship, eventually ask for money
- Investment scams — “I made so much money, DM me to learn how!”
- Impersonation — Pretend to be someone you know
- Information gathering — Learn about you for targeted attacks
Quizzes, Games, and Apps
“What Disney Princess Are You?” and similar quizzes often:
- Harvest your personal data
- Get access to your friends list
- Collect security question answers
- May install tracking or malware
Skip them. They’re designed to extract information, not entertain you.
Also review apps connected to your accounts:
- Facebook: Settings → Apps and Websites
- Instagram: Settings → Apps and Websites
- Twitter/X: Settings → Security → Apps
Remove anything you don’t recognize or no longer use.
Recognizing Hacked Accounts
If a friend suddenly:
- Sends weird links with no context
- Asks for money urgently
- Messages in a different style than usual
- Promotes cryptocurrency or “investment opportunities”
- Sends you a link saying “is this you in this video?”
Their account may be hacked. Contact them another way (text, call, email) to verify before clicking anything.
If Your Account Is Hacked
- Try to log in and change password immediately
- Use the platform’s recovery process:
- Check for posts/messages you didn’t send — Delete them
- Alert your friends through another channel
- Review connected apps and remove suspicious ones
- Turn on two-factor authentication once recovered
Protecting Your Kids on Social Media
- Use parental controls built into devices and platforms
- Follow/friend your kids (age-appropriately)
- Keep devices in common areas for younger kids
- Talk about what’s appropriate to share — Especially location, school, routine
- Discuss scams and predators without being scary
- Model good behavior with your own social media use
Quick Summary
✓ Review privacy settings on each platform (quarterly)
✓ Be cautious of friend requests from strangers
✓ Skip quizzes and games that want account access
✓ Verify unusual messages from friends through another channel
✓ Think before posting: What are you revealing?