Using social media safely

Social media can be a fantastic way to keep in touch with friends and family you don’t see regularly. However, it is important to remember that social media is public, and the information you share can often be seen by more people than you intend.

Privacy settings

Without privacy settings, anyone can see your full profile, even if they do not know you personally. It is your responsibility to turn on privacy settings for your account. Even with some settings turned on, your information could go further than you mean it to. For example, on some platforms, if a friend likes your social media post, all their friends can then see it. If a friend of theirs likes it, all of that person’s friends can see it too, and so on.

Privacy settings can change from time to time. It is worth checking regularly whether you are happy with the settings that are in place. For more information about social media privacy settings, click here.

Think carefully before you post

It is important not to share any information you wouldn’t be comfortable telling a stranger. Even if you have privacy settings turned on, your information could easily get into the wrong hands. For example, if someone in your network has not secured their account properly, your information will also be at risk.

Take particular care if you are using social media when you are upset or angry; if you are feeling emotional, it can be easy to post more information than you intend.

If you have professional connections as well as friends and family on your social media, think about whether you are comfortable with all your connections seeing what you post. It is possible to set up different profiles for different purposes, or to use privacy settings to make sure only the people you choose can view your more personal content.

Social media housekeeping

If you no longer use a social media account and don’t want people to be able to see what you posted in the past, you should close it down. This is sometimes called ‘deactivating’ your account. How you do this will differ for each social media platform, but you can often find the option in settings, under account details or privacy settings. Many platforms have a help function where you can search for settings you can’t find easily.

Other tips for staying safe on social media

• Think carefully about who you choose to connect with on social media. Do you know them in real life? Think about how much information you'd share with a stranger in real life.
• Be cautious with people you've just met online, especially if they ask you to reveal personal information or want to meet you very quickly – they may not be who they say they are.
• Report any abuse to the relevant social network. You can also unfollow and block people.
• Avoid publishing personal information, such as your telephone number, address or date of birth. It's also a good idea to pick a username that doesn't include any personal information.
• Use a strong password that's different from the passwords you use for other accounts. Click here to find out more about password security and how to choose a strong password.
• Look out for misinformation. False claims or fake stories can spread easily online. Many social. Some platforms flag misleading information, but it’s still important to be vigilant.

Find more information to help you stay safe online in our free information guide, created in partnership with CyberScotland.