Seven essential tips to protect your privacy on Instagram

With the increasing risk of personal information leaks on social media, Instagram users are urged to enhance their privacy settings.

The platform’s wide appeal for personal expression, combined with its focus on visual sharing, can unintentionally reveal more about users than intended. Here are seven steps to secure Instagram accounts and limit exposure:

1. Switch to a Private Account:
   Setting your profile to private restricts content visibility to approved followers only. This adjustment can be made under 'Account privacy' in the settings.

2. Unlink from Facebook:
   Users concerned about cross-platform sharing can disconnect their Facebook account under the 'Accounts Centre' in settings, avoiding unintentional content sharing across platforms.

3. Create a Close Friends List:
   For more selective sharing, Instagram’s 'Close Friends' list limits posts and stories to chosen contacts only. This feature can be accessed and managed directly from settings.

4. Hide Stories and Live Content from Certain Individuals:
   Instagram allows users to prevent specific people from viewing their stories and live broadcasts. This can be configured under 'Who can see your content' by selecting 'Hide story and live.'

5. Disable Activity Status:
   Users can turn off the 'Last Seen' activity status, preventing others from knowing when they were last online. This feature is under 'Messages and story replies' in the app settings.

6. Turn Off Read Receipts:
   Like WhatsApp’s blue ticks, Instagram notifies users when messages are read. To disable this, head to 'Messages and story replies' and toggle off 'Show read receipts.'

7. Limit Interactions from Specific Users:
   Instagram users can reduce unwanted interactions from certain accounts by adjusting settings in 'Limit interactions.' This restricts comments, mentions, and story replies from these individuals, though close friends can still reach out.

As security concerns grow, these steps offer Instagram users greater control over their online privacy, promoting a safer social media experience.