Teens & Family
Teens and Social Media Privacy
Teens live online, and the defaults are built for sharing, not safety. These are the settings and habits that actually protect them, explained plainly enough to share with them.
The Settings That Matter Most
- Set every account to private (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, etc.).
- Turn off location sharing and remove location tags from posts.
- Limit who can DM, comment, and tag them to friends only.
- Turn off discovery by phone number and email so strangers cannot find them.
Account Security
- A unique password and two-factor authentication on every account, see passwords & 2FA.
- Never share passwords with friends or partners.
- Learn to spot phishing and fake "you won" or "your account is locked" messages.
Strangers and Sextortion
Sextortion, where someone tricks a teen into sending intimate images and then threatens them, is a fast-growing and serious threat. The rules that keep teens safe:
- Never send intimate images to anyone, no matter who they claim to be.
- If it happens, it is not their fault. Stop responding, do not pay, save evidence, and tell a trusted adult.
- Report to the platform and use NCMEC's free Take It Down service to remove images.
Common Questions
Should I make my teen's account private for them?
Do it together. Walk through the settings side by side so they understand why, and they are far more likely to keep them on.
Is it okay to read their messages?
Safety and trust have to balance. Most experts favor open conversation and agreed-upon rules over secret monitoring, which usually backfires.
What do we do if our teen is being sextorted?
Stay calm and supportive, stop all contact with the scammer, do not pay, save evidence, tell a trusted adult, report to the platform, and use NCMEC Take It Down. The FBI takes these cases seriously.
WANT THIS DONE FOR YOU?
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