Should I use my real name on social media?

On platforms where friends need to find you, yes — but lock everything else down. On forums, gaming and public comment spaces, a pseudonym adds a useful layer of protection, especially for teens.

Is it safe to post photos of my kids?

With a private account and a trusted friends list, the risk is lower — but school names, uniforms and locations in photos reveal more than most parents realise. Many families choose faces-away-from-camera or no-kid-photos rules. Whatever you choose, make it a deliberate decision.

Privacy settings: the 20-minute lockdown

6 min readReviewed October 2026 · Internet Safety Australia Editorial Team

In short

Set every account to private/friends-only first — biggest win, one switch per platform.
Hide your friends list, location and contact details.
Turn off “find me by phone number/email” and limit who can message you.

Scammers mine public profiles for details that make their lies convincing — your suburb, your kids’ names, your workplace, your holiday dates. Twenty minutes of settings changes removes most of that ammunition. Settings move around, but the principles below hold on every platform; use each app’s settings search to find the exact toggle.

The five switches that matter most (every platform)

Private account / friends only
The single biggest win. On Facebook set past and future posts to “Friends”; on Instagram, TikTok and X switch on “Private account”. Strangers now see almost nothing.
Hide your connections
Hide your friends list and followers. “Hi Mum, it’s me — new phone” scams are built from visible family connections.
Kill location sharing
Turn off precise location for social apps in your phone settings, and never post holidays in real time. Your home address should never be inferable from your posts.
Limit discovery and messages
Turn off “find me by phone number/email” where offered, and set direct messages from strangers to requests-only or off.
Review tagging and facial recognition
Set tags to require your approval, and opt out of face recognition features where the platform offers a choice.

Platform quick notes

Platform	Where to start
Facebook	Settings → Privacy Checkup (guided tool) — run all four sections
Instagram	Settings → Account privacy → Private; then Messages and story replies → restrict
TikTok	Settings → Privacy → Private account; set Downloads, Duet and Stitch to friends/off
Snapchat	Settings → “Who Can…” → Contact Me: Friends; see my location: Ghost Mode
X (Twitter)	Settings → Privacy and safety → protect posts; limit DMs and photo tagging
LinkedIn	Settings → Visibility — limit public profile and who can see your connections

Then do the 60-second stranger test

Log out (or use your browser’s private window) and search your own name. What can a stranger see? Profile photo, bio, old public posts, tagged photos? Anything that surprises you is a setting you missed — go back and close it.

Privacy settings are not a force field

Friends-only posts can still be screenshotted and shared. The rule that never expires: don’t post anything you couldn’t bear seeing elsewhere. Settings reduce exposure; judgement eliminates it.

Common questions

Where to report this

Report to eSafety

Cyberbullying of children, adult cyber abuse, image-based abuse, and illegal or restricted online content.

Go to eSafety

Official sources for this guide

Reviewed October 2026 by Internet Safety Australia Editorial Team. Internet Safety Australia is independent and not a government website.