Social media platforms started as a way that helps people connect and communicate with each other. Soon, people started experiencing the dark side of social media. Behind the keyboard, some users feel more empowered to just say anything. Heated discussions on these platforms can soon turn into fights. Bullying found its way to social media, too.
That’s why some social media platforms started introducing ways to help users protect themselves and their privacy.
Previously, if you wanted to hide your posts from someone, the only way was to block them. This could put you in an awkward situation, especially if you know this person in real life. Today, you no longer need to worry about that. There are several ways to hide your posts from people without blocking them.
No one solution fits all social media platforms. It depends on the program you’re using/ So, here is how you can prevent or block people from viewing your posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
1. Hiding your posts on Facebook
There are a few ways to limit who can see your posts on Facebook. Some of them might not guarantee the total erasure of this person from your Facebook timeline. However, they’re the closest you will get to block that user.
Post privacy settings
Facebook gives you the option of selecting your audience before publishing a post. When you select “Public”, your post will be visible to anybody on Facebook. Even people who are not on your Friends List will be able to see the post on your wall. The post might also show on Facebook search results.
To limit your post’s audience, select “Friends”. This way, only your Facebook Friends will be able to see the post. But what if the person you want to hide the post from is on your Facebook Friends List?
“Friends Except” and “Specific Friends” options
From the post privacy settings, you can also choose to hide a post from specific Friends on Facebook. Start a post, then, click on the “Friends” tab. You will see various options. One of them is “Friends except”. By clicking on it, you will see all the names of your Facebook Friends. Choose the accounts you want to hide this post from and click “Done”.
If the post is already published, click on the three dots at the top right. Then, choose “Edit privacy”, click on “Friends except” and follow the same steps as before.
The “Specific friends” option works the other way around. It lets you choose the Facebook Friends you want to show your post to. In all cases, others will not get notified about this activity.
Restricted List
Open your Facebook app and go to your Friend’s profile. There, click on the “Friends” button. You will see the following options: “Unfriend” or “Edit Friend Lists”. Now, click on the second option, then, choose “Restricted”.
To help you customize the audiences of your posts, Facebook provides a few built-in “Lists”. These help you categorize people on your Friends List. One of these lists is called “Restricted”.
So, people you restrict will not be removed from your Facebook Friends list. However, you can still tag them in posts and chat with them on Messenger, but they will be able to see only your “Public” content or posts you tag them in.
If a mutual Facebook Friend tags both of you in a post, they will see that you have been tagged. Your activity on public Facebook pages might also be visible to them. For example, if you like a post on a public page, they might be able to see that.
2. Hiding Instagram posts from others
Currently, there is no way to hide your posts on Instagram from certain followers. However, there is a way to hide your stories or make your account private. Here is how:
Hide your story
Instagram gives you the option of hiding your story from certain people on your profile. To do this, you need to go to this person’s Instagram account. Tap the three dots at the top right corner. Then, select “Hide your story”. This way, the person you selected will not be able to see your stories in the future.
You can do the same for just a specific story. When making a story, select the Settings icon at the top right corner of the screen. Then, select “Story” and choose “Hide story from”.
That will show you all the Instagram accounts that follow you. Choose the people you want to hide your story from and click “Done”. You can choose multiple accounts. This option will also hide your live videos from these Instagram users.
Make your Instagram account private
By turning your Instagram account to private, you will force people to send you requests to follow you. Only your followers will be able to see your posts and stories. To stop someone from seeing your Instagram posts, you can simply delete them from your followers’ list.
To make your Instagram account private, go to the settings menu. You will find it by opening your profile and clicking on the three horizontal lines. Then, click on “Privacy” and toggle the “Private Account” button.
Restrict user
This’s similar to blocking someone on Instagram, only more polite. Blocking a user will prevent them from seeing your posts and stories. On the other hand, restricting someone will only hide their comments from others. So, their chats will be moved to your “Message Requests” section.
That means they will not be able to tell if you have read their message. However, a restricted person will still be able to see your posts.
To restrict an Instagram user, just open their profile. Then, click on the three dots at the top and choose “Restrict”.
3. How to hide your TikTok videos
Your profile on TikTok does not just show the content you produce. It also reveals your interests and likes to others. You might not want to share all this information with the public. That’s why TikTok offers many options that allow you to control what you share and who you share it with.
Change your TikTok video privacy settings
On a public TikTok account, everybody can see everything you post. To set limits, you can change the privacy settings of your content. Switch the privacy of your video(s) from “Public” to “Friends”.
That way, only the followers who you follow back can watch your video. So, people who you’re not following will not see the video.
Go to the video you want to hide from the public. Next, click on the three dots. Then, choose “Privacy Settings” and go to “Who can watch this video”. Now, choose “Friends”. You can do the same steps and select “Private” at the end. This option will make the video visible to you only. No one else will be able to see it, except you.
4. Hiding content on Twitter
The creators of Twitter realized that social media could be a hostile place. That’s why they have recently rolled out the soft block option for all Twitter web users. This feature allows you to remove anybody from your followers’ list on Twitter. You do not need to block them anymore.
Soft block
By removing someone from your Twitter followers’ list, they will no longer see your tweets or even retweets in their feed. Do not worry! This will not create any awkward situations.
Twitter does not notify people that they have been removed from the followers’ list. So, be careful; this option will not stop that person from seeing your public tweets. Only blocking them or switching your tweets to private will do that.
To “soft block” someone on Twitter, you need to open your account from the web. This option has not been introduced yet to the Twitter application. Go to your profile and select the “Followers” tab. Then, scroll down to the user you want to remove and click on the three dots next to their name. Select “Remove this follower”.
Make your Tweets private
To stop the public from seeing your tweets, you need to enable the “Protect My Tweets” feature. This will make all your tweets private. Only people who follow you will be able to see your tweets. To follow your protected Twitter account, users will need to send you a request that you can approve or decline.
Limitation of keep your posts private
Social media platforms can do a great job of keeping people connected. However, they can also be a hurtful place. For that reason, you need to set limits to protect yourself and your privacy. You need to master the art of picking who can see what you share on your social media accounts.
Having the option of sharing everything with everybody does not mean you should. Use the above-mentioned features to keep your social media platforms safe. Be careful! Even if you take all precautions, people can always find a way to view your posts. They can open your private profile using a common friend’s account.
Also, Google and other search engines may crawl your posts on various social media networks like Youtube, Snapchat, Tinder and even Facebook and the Meta group, and index what you publish. After that, people can easily search from your accounts on these websites and find what you’ve shared in the past if you allow Google to index your posts.
Now matter what social platforms you use, make sure you always turn OFF the search engine sharing feature. That’s the best way to prevent your profiles from being shown to the public when they use search engines like Google, Bing etc…For direct user block, use the above tricks and methods, and think twice before you share the next story on Instagram or other social apps.
Screenshots can always be taken from your private posts and sent to others. To stay on the safe side, never post something that you would regret others seeing. Make the best of your social media experience. Protect your privacy!
