What are some steps I can take?

Take some time to check them out

All Social Media Platforms  let you adjust your privacy settings so that you can keep more of your content private.

Understanding the available options and taking a couple of minutes to check your accounts can help prevent issues.

It is also important to understand what the default settings are and how you can change them (if you want to)

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On Facebook

Who sees your posts?

Whenever you post something on Facebook (on the web or in a mobile app), there’s a drop-down menu nearby that lets you choose who can see the post (this is usually just set to “Friends”).

This gives you  control over who can see your next post or photo and you can change this each time.

To do this, tap or click the drop-down to see more options. You can make your posts public (so anyone can see them), restrict them to  friends (or even all friends except those that you specify) , or  post updates that only you can see.

You can also create your own custom lists.

To do this, go to Facebook on a web browser, click the ‘Friend Lists’ option  (on the left hand menu under “explore’ below the News Feed), and then select ‘Create List’.

If you’re prepared to put in the time you can create all sorts of combinations. You might want some updates to be seen just by people in a  sports team, people that go to your school or by everyone in your friends list except your family members.

It is important to remember that once you’ve made a choice (like “Netball Girls”) that setting  stays put for all your future posts until you change it again.

Also, everyone in your custom list will be able to see everyone else in that has been included (and who hasn’t).

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Understanding tagging

Facebook explains it like this: “When you tag someone, you create a link to their profile”.

“The post you tag the person in may also be added to that person’s timeline.

For example, you can tag a photo to show who’s in the photo or post a status update and say who you’re with. If you tag a friend in your status update, anyone who sees that update can click on your friend’s name and go to their profile. Your status update may also show up on that friend’s timeline”.

To manage who can tag you, in ‘Settings’, you can go to Timeline and Tagging. Here, you can select the “review” setting which lets you know who and when people tag you, and if you want it to show up on your timeline.

Posts you’re tagged in still appear in search, News Feed and other places on Facebook including the timeline of the person who made the post and tagged you.

If a notification comes through to you for ‘Timeline Review’ for a post you are tagged in, and you do not think it is ok or do not want to be included,  you still need to click the THREE DOTS to remove the tag and stop it linking back to your profile.

Something else to remember is that, if you tag a friend in a photo, all of their friends will be able to see the photo/post as well.

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On Instagram

On Instagram you cannot change the settings of individual posts.  Everything you post is EITHER public or private (friends only).

If you choose for your posts to be public, then anyone can see your posts, even if they do not have an Instagram account, all they need is a web browser.

If you decide to switch from a public to a private account, all your existing friends will automatically move across to your private account.

To make your account private, go to the ‘Options’ page in the mobile app, and move the Private Account switch to ‘on’ .

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On Snapchat

Like Instagram, you decide who can see your Stories all together rather than one by one.

When you first open Snapchat, you will see the camera feature. Slide the screen down and you will open your profile page. Click on the gear icon on the top right corner for Settings.

Scroll down to the section called “Who Can…” – This is where you can limit the people who can send you snaps and see your story.

The default settings for both options will be “Friends”.

You can change them to “Public” or customize them by using the ‘Friends except’ feature and selecting specific friends who will not be able to see your story.

A few things to remember (from Snapchat):

  • Even if you choose ‘My Friends,’ anyone you’re in a Group with will be able to communicate with you.
  • To see who’s in a Group Chat before you jump in, just press and hold on the name of the group in the Chat screen!
  • If you’re asked to be in a Group Story or Geofenced Story, you’ll be notified if there is someone in the Story that you have blocked. If you choose to enter, they will be able to view your Snaps!

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Location Sharing on Snapchat

When you open the Snap Map for the first time, you’ll get asked to choose who you’d like to share your location with. Whatever you choose, you’ll be able to update this setting later at any time!

  • Only Me (Ghost Mode): Your location won’t be visible to anyone else on the Map! When you’re in Ghost Mode, your Bitmoji will hold up a blue sign with a ghost icon. You can turn Ghost Mode on and off, or set a timer if you only want to be on the down low for a little while.
  • Select Friends…: Choose specific friends to share your location with. Friends you select aren’t notified when you choose them. If a friend isn’t appearing in this list, it could be because they haven’t added you as a friend on Snapchat.
  • My Friends: Your location will be shared with all of your friends — including friends you add in the future! This option doesn’t include people who’ve added you as a friend, but who you haven’t added back. If you choose this option, Snapchat will check in from time to time to make sure you still want to share your location with all of your friends.

To update your location settings, just tap the cog button in the top-right corner of the Map screen.  You can change who can see your location, or you can hide your location altogether by going into Ghost Mode.

Warning  Snaps you send through to ‘Our Story’ still show up on the Map, no matter what location setting you choose!

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On Twitter

Twitter is the same as Instagram, in that you cannot change the settings of individual posts.  Everything you post is EITHER public or private (friends only).

If you choose for your posts to be public, then anyone can see your posts, even if they do not have a Twitter account, all they need is a web browser.

If you decide to switch from a public to a private account, all your existing friends will automatically move across to your private account.

To make your account private, go to the Settings page on the web, click Privacy and Safety, and tick Protect my Tweets.

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Protect your Tweets

Protecting your Tweets means your Tweets will only be seen by your followers.

With your Tweets protected, you have control of your Twitter experience: every time someone wants to follow your account, you have the choice to accept or decline their request.

Any accounts that were following you before your Tweets were protected will continue to follow you (which means you will not have to approve them again), but you can stop them from following you by blocking them.

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