Facebook Privacy Settings to Keep Teens Safe

Although Facebook may feel like a safe online destination for your teen, it's still important to discuss and adjust Facebook's privacy settings to protect your child from dangers lurking on the internet. It is possible to connect with friends and post status updates and photos safely, but you (or your teen) may need to make a few changes to the settings.

Accessing and Changing Privacy Settings

You can't make changes to your teen's Facebook page from your account. To access Facebook's privacy settings on the desktop, have your teen open their Facebook page and then watch as you go through the privacy settings, explaining the importance of each one.

1. Go to the top of the Facebook page and select the down arrow.

2. Select Settings & Privacy in the drop-down menu.

3. Choose Settings.

4. Select Privacy.

5. In the Privacy Shortcuts section of the Privacy Settings and Tools screen, select Check a few important settings.

6. Go through each section of the Privacy Checkup with your teen. Topics include:

   • Who can see what you share.
   • How to keep your account secure.
   • How people find you on Facebook.
   • Your data settings on Facebook.
   • Your ad preferences on Facebook.

7. Back in the Your Activity section of the Privacy Settings and Tools screen, block strangers from finding your teen by selecting Edit next to Who can see your future posts. Choose from the options. Friends is the most common option. Public is not recommended.

   This section also offers the ability to limit who can see past posts, so if posts previously were public, they can be changed so that only friends can see them now. Select Limit Past Posts and select the Limit Past Posts option.

8. Scroll down from the Your Activity section to reach the How People Find and Contact You section, which includes who can see your teen's Friends list, email address, phone number, and other options.

   Make sure you or your teen edits each of these settings to Friends or Only me and not Public or Everyone.

Adjust Privacy Settings for Your Teen's Photos

Some photos, such as the current profile photo and cover photo, are always public. Privacy settings for other photos are set manually as they are posted, so get your teen in the habit of adjusting their photo settings when they post them by making sure photos are set to be seen by Friends and not Public.

You can only edit the privacy settings for photos in specific albums, including Cover Photos and Profile Pictures. If the photo was shared as part of an album, you need to change the setting for the entire album.

Change Privacy Settings on Individual Photos

To adjust privacy settings on individual photos with Facebook on the desktop:

1. Have your teen open their profile page.

2. Select Photos to access the images.

3. Select Your Photos. (You may need to scroll down to see the photos.)

4. Open a photo and click the audience selector icon.

5. Select the audience you want to share the photo with—Friends, for example. Warn your teen never to choose Public.

Change Privacy Settings on Photo Albums

In most cases, if a photo was shared as part of an album, your teen will need to change the privacy settings for the entire album.

To edit the privacy settings for a photo album using Facebook on the desktop:

1. Have your teen navigate to their profile page.

2. Select Photos.

3. Select Albums.

4. Choose an album to open it and then select the three-dot menu icon in the upper-right corner.

5. Select Edit album in the drop-down menu.

6. Choose the audience selector icon in the left sidebar.

7. Choose the audience for the album from the screen that opens. Warn your teen never to select Public.

Privacy Checkup in the Mobile App

If your teen prefers to use the Facebook mobile app, they can access the Privacy Checkup section by tapping the three lines at the bottom of the screen and going to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Privacy Checkup. Most of the security settings in the app are accessible through the Privacy Checkup.