Online Safety Advice

What is TikTok?
TikTok is an online entertainment platform. After downloading the TikTok app, you can start creating your own videos or watch content created by other users. Creating and editing videos is simple, with different effects, filters, and stickers to choose form.

Age Restrictions
TikTok is only for users aged 13 and over, with TikTok actively removing underage accounts. You can report underage users in-app, by emailing privacy@tiktok.com or completing an online form tiktok.com/legal/report/privacy

Accounts for users under 16 are set to Private by Default. Only someone the user approves can view or comment on their videos. They cannot Direct Message, their accounts are not suggested to others, and their videos cannot be downloaded.

For 16-17s other features have enhanced privacy settings, with many features set to ‘Off’ by default unless the user actively decides to enable it.

Users under 18 are not able to Livestream and do not have the ability to access Gifting features.

Managing your wellbeing on TikTok
Under 18 accounts are set to private by default with 16-17 accounts having the option to be more Public in their privacy settings. A private account allows you to approve or deny followers and restrict your uploaded content to followers only. To make an account Private:

Tap on the profile tab
Go to the three-line menu in the top-right corner
Tap on Settings and Privacy
Select Privacy
Then toggle Private account

TikTok also provides a number of wellbeing features found in Settings and Privacy to support with experience. Some of these features include:

Screen Time limits and prompts
Screen Time dashboard with weekly notifications of usage
Filtering keywords to restrict content
Sleep reminders
Muted notifications for teen accounts at nighttime
Restricted mode to limit content that may not be appropriate

Additional digital wellbeing tips
You can help keep your identity secure by not including any personal information, such as name, address, phone number or age in your public profile, although this information can be used in your settings to support with security e.g., to enable two-factor authentication.

What about parental controls?
The Family Pairing feature allows parents to customise their teen’s safety settings based on their individual needs. It allows a parent to link their TikTok account to their teen's and set controls. As well as wellbeing tools, some of the features include:

Screen Time Management: Control how long your teen can spend on TikTok each day
Restricted Mode and Keyword Filtering: Limit the appearance of content that may not be appropriate for them
Direct Messages: Restrict who can send messages to the connected account, or turn off direct messaging completely
Search: Decide whether teens are able to proactively search for content

Parents or caregivers that enable Family Pairing receive advice for parents, which are available on the Guardian's Guide section of TikTok’s Safety Centre - tiktok.com/safety

How do I report a problem?
If you feel someone is harassing you or otherwise being inappropriate, you can report them or a specific video to TikTok's dedicated moderation team in the app. You can also report via the web form - tiktok.com/legal/report/feedback

To report a specific user:

Access the user’s profile
Tap on the arrow in the top-right corner
An option saying report will come up
Follow the on-screen instructions
To report a specific video:
Hold your finger on the video
Tap report and follow the on-screen instructions

TikTok also works with the Professionals Online Safety Helpline (0344 381 4772 or helpline@saferinternet.org.uk), a free and independent helpline for teachers and other professionals working with children in the UK.

Blocking users on TikTok
You can also block a user so they won't be able to view your videos or interact with you through direct messages, comments, follows, or likes.

Go to the profile of the account you want to report
Tap the arrow icon
Tap block and follow the steps in the app

Users can also bulk report, delete or block up to 100 comments or accounts at once by long-pressing on a comment or tapping the pencil icon in the upper-left corner to open a window of further options.

Control your comment section
You have the power to decide whether you want to allow comments on videos from everyone, followers only, or restrict them altogether. Using profile settings, you can filter all comments to prevent certain keywords, or pre-approve any comment that appears on your video.

Gifting on TikTok
You must be 18+ to access Gifting features on TikTok. Users having problems with any virtual currency should contact TikTok using this form: tiktok.com/legal/report/transaction

Limit the content you see
If you don’t like a video, you can simply long-press on that video and tap Not Interested to see less of that sort of content in the future. Users have greater control over their algorithm by being able to use Keyword Filtering along with the ability to refresh their algorithm as if they were a new user. TikTok have also introduced ‘Content Levels’ to rank content based on thematic maturity.

Set your messaging preferences
For users 16-17, ’Direct Messaging’ is off by default but can be changed to allow Friends – those who follow you and you follow back, to message users. Direct Messages are off by default for under 16s.

You can unfollow or block a user to stop them from sending a direct message or disable messaging entirely from your privacy settings.

Set your video to private
If you've already uploaded the video: Tap the three dots, tap Privacy settings and select Only me

If you're about to post a video you can choose who can watch it: Only Me, Friends or Everyone and you can choose whether comments are allowed. The Everyone option is not available to under 16 accounts.

Supporting community and wellbeing
TikTok does not allow content that promotes, glorifies, or normalises harmful content, however it does support people who choose to share their personal experiences to raise awareness or help others who might be struggling and looking for support among the community.

Redirecting Users - when someone searches for words or phrases relating to sensitive issues they are directed to local support resources such as Samaritans or BEAT helpline.

Warning Users - when a user searches content that some may find distressing, for example ‘scary make-up’, the results page will be covered, requiring individuals to opt-in to see content.

What is Twitter (aka ‘X’)?
Twitter is a social networking site with over 300 million users!

The big appeal with Twitter is how rapid and quick the tweets come in, meaning there is nearly always something new to read: you can track hundreds of interesting tweeters, and read their content with a glance, even celebrities and public figures.

One of the big differences from the other major social networking sites is that there is a limit to the amount of characters you can use in one tweet; this means you have to choose your words very carefully, or just tweet and tweet and tweet ... it also promotes focused and clever use of language, making tweets interesting and easy to read, as well as challenging to write.

Twitter is a popular public platform used by many to express themselves, share stories, pictures and articles on the net. It can be a place people can find support, friends, jokes and much more.

Unfortunately like anything, it is not always used for good and that’s why we have devised this checklist to help you stay safe!

Who can follow me?
If you have chosen to ‘Protect your tweets’ you will receive a notification when someone has requested to follow you. This allows you to choose whether to ‘accept’ or ‘decline’ their follow.

If you have chosen not to protect your tweets, anyone can follow you (unless you have previously blocked them) and you will receive a notification informing that they have started following you.

Who am I Following?
If you are looking to follow a celebrity you like, Twitter has made it easy for you. Twitter verifies celebrities, famous people and public figures. This is displayed with a
next to their Twitter handle. Twitter allows parody and fan accounts so this helps you identify the real deal quickly and easily.

You can follow whoever you like, and Twitter will also make suggestions on who they think you might like to follow.

Unfollow or Delete Content
If you no longer wish to follow someone you can unfollow them by going to their Twitter profile, click the button and you will automatically ‘unfollow’. If you still want to follow someone but don’t want to see their tweets; click this icon on their profile and select ‘Mute’, you can ‘un-mute’ at any time.

If you don’t think unfollowing them is enough you can also ‘Block a user’. Click this icon on their page and select ‘Block’. This means that the user will no longer be able to follow or message you.

It’s good practice to occasionally look through your followers and have a spring clean. If you no longer know someone or don’t want them seeing your tweets, then it’s good to remove them - it’s easy to forget who’s following you.

If you would like to delete a post you created, all you need to do is click on the in the top right-hand corner of the post and click delete. This works for any tweet or re-tweet. If you have ‘Favourited’ something but didn’t want to, you just have to click the again to un-favourite.

Deactivate my Account
Before you deactivate your account you should know; Twitter keeps your data for at least 30 days, after which it will be permanently deleted. You can re-activate your account in this 30-day period just by logging in. Twitter also gives you the option to up this limit to 12 months. This means that even if you deactivate, you could reactivate within a year and restore your account completely.

To deactivate your account:

Log in to Twitter on a computer
Click on More in the menu on the left and select ‘Settings and privacy’
Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click ‘Deactivate account’
Read the account deactivation information
Once you are happy click ‘deactivate’
Enter your password for the account when prompted and verify that you want to deactivate your account.

Report Something
If someone has tweeted something that you don’t think should be on Twitter (please read the Twitter rules) you can report individual tweets by:

Click on the dropdown in the top right-hand corner (on the Tweet)
Select ‘Report’ from the drop-down menu
Choose what type of report and follow the steps provided

If you don’t want to see the post on your timeline but don’t think it warrants a report, you can use the ‘Mute’ option to hide posts from that user on your timeline.

If you want to report a Twitter user you need to:

Go to their profile and click on the next to the
Click ‘Report’, and then select what type of report you would like to make.

If you are reporting something or someone for being violent or threatening, you will receive an email form from Twitter confirming your report, making it easier and clearer for law enforcement, should you wish to make it a police matter.

Protect my Privacy
When you set up a Twitter account it is automatically set to ‘Public’, this means that anyone can see your Tweets, even if they don’t follow you, even if they don’t have a Twitter account. You can ‘Protect’ your tweets, which means anyone who doesn’t follow you would need to, in order to see your tweets.

To check if your account is public or private take these steps:

Login to Twitter
Click on More, then settings and privacy in the left menu
Scroll down to the ‘Privacy and Safety’ section. if you want to be private tick ‘protect my tweets’, if you want your account to be public, make sure it is unticked.

In this section you can choose who you want to be able to tag you in photos and also manage your sensitive media settings.

Who Can See My Tweets?
If you have chosen to protect your tweets, only the people that follow you can see them. If you have chosen not to, anyone can view your tweets, unless you have blocked them.

What is Snapchat?
Snapchat is a visual messaging social media app. Users can take photos, record videos, add text or drawings and send them to Friends. These Snaps will disappear after the recipient views it, or within 24 hours (for a Story). Once all recipients have viewed a Snap, it will be automatically deleted from Snapchat’s servers. Opened Snaps typically cannot be retrieved from Snapchat’s servers by anyone, for any reason.

Age Restrictions
Snapchat is not intended for children under the age of 13. Users between the ages of 13-17 should have permission from a parent or legal guardian to use the app. A Snapchat account can be deleted by going to https://acounts.snapchat.com/accounts/delete_account and entering the username and password. If Snapchat identifies that a user is under 13, they will terminate their account.

Note: If you forget your password, you can submit a password reset request to Snapchat at: https://accounts.snapchat.com/acounts/password_reset_request

How Do I Find All My Friends?

Tap your Profile on the top left of the Camera screen
Tap the Add Friends icon
You can add friends by username, from your device’s
contacts, by Snapcode, or with the Quick Add To add Friends from your contacts, you will need to verify your phone number. Once verified, all of your phone contacts with Snapchat accounts will be displayed, along with Friends who don’t have Snapchat, who you can invite via SMS
To add a Friend who has already added you, tap Add Friends, find the Added Me section, locate their username, then tap the Accept icon

If you don’t want friends to find you through your phone number:

Tap your Profile icon from the top left of the Camera screen. Then tap the Gear icon in the top right corner
Tap Mobile Number
Deselect Let others find me using my mobile number

How Do I Report a Problem?
Snapchat encourages self-expression but wants users to use the app safely and enjoyably. Snapchat doesn’t tolerate Snaps that share:

Pornography or nudity involving people under the age of 18
Invasions of privacy or impersonation of others
Threats, harassment or bullying of others
Encouragement of self-harm

Snapchat may remove these types of content and suspend accounts, prohibiting them from using Snapchat in the future. For more information, see Snapchat’s Community Guidelines: https://support.snapchat.com/en-GB/a/guidelines

Snapchat’s reporting functions are the same across all devices. Mobile and tablet users can find all the reporting routes by tapping on your Profile icon on the Camera screen, tapping the Gear icon, scrolling down to Support and selecting I Have a Safety Concern. To report on desktop, visit: https://support.snachat.com/en-GB/i-need-help

To report a specific Snap or Story, press and hold on the content, then tap Report Snap
To report a specific account, open your friend’s list, press and hold on the user’s name, tap Manage Friendship and tap Report

What Else Can I Do On Snapchat?
Stories is a feature that lets you share photos and videos to your feed that can be viewed for 24 hours.

Depending on your privacy settings, the photos and videos added to your Story can be viewed by just your Friends (the default setting), all users, or by a customised group.
Snapchat also offers news and entertainment via the Search feature as well as the Spotlight page. As well as seeing your Friends’ stories, you can explore channels from established publishers who curate their own content.

The Spotlight page highlights a continuous reel of videos that may be of interest.

The Search feature highlights influencers, shows, lenses and places that may be of interest.

Like Snaps, Chats are cleared when a recipient leaves the Chat screen. In Chat, however, users have the option to save messages they’d like to keep. If you save a message, your Friend can see that you saved it – as indicated by a dark grey background behind the message.

Note: To clear a conversation, click on Chat. Then tap the Three dots icon in the top right corner and tap Manage Chats. Tap the X next to a name to clear the conversation.

Memories is a personal collection of the Snaps and Stories you save. Memories can be used to create new Stories and Snaps. Users can also choose to store certain Memories in the password protected My Eyes Only section that will need to be setup.

Location Settings
Snapchat enables users to show their location to Friends and present their avatar within the Snap Map (a digital map that highlights all other Friends who have enabled this feature). Location settings can be adjusted by tapping on your Profile icon, tapping the Gear icon, scrolling down to Privacy Controls and tapping on See My Location. Users are then able to set their profile to the following features:

Ghost Mode: Friends cannot see your location
My Friends: All Friends can see your location
My Friends, Except: The option to exclude specific Friends from seeing your location
Only These Friends: The option to only send to specific Friends

How Do I Block & Delete?
Blocking someone means they will be prevented from sending you Snaps and Chats as well as viewing your Stories. Deleting someone means they will no longer be on your Friends list, but they may still see your Snaps and Stories depending on your privacy settings.

To block or delete a contact:

In the Friends screen, tap and hold on the username you want to block or delete
Tap the Gear icon next to their name, and tap Manage Friendship
Select Block to prevent them sending Snaps and Chats or viewing your Stories
Select Remove Friend to remove them from your Friends list
To block someone who isn’t in your Friends list, open a chat with them by swiping on their name on the Chat screen. Tap the button in the top left corner to view their profile and select Block

To unblock a user:

Tap your Profile at the top of the Camera screen. Then, tap the Gear icon and scroll down to Privacy Controls or Account Actions (for Android) and tap Blocked. You will see a list of users you have blocked. Tap the X next to their name to unblock them
Depending on your privacy settings, you may need to re-add each other as Friends to send each other Snaps and Chats

How Can I Stay In Control?
By default, only users you add to your Friends list can send you Snaps.

If someone who isn’t your Friend tries to send you a Snap, you’ll receive a notification that they added you. You will only receive the Snap if you add them to your Friends list.

To change who can send you Snaps and see your Stories:

Tap your Profile in the top left of the camera screen to access your profile. Then tap the Gear icon in the top right corner of the screen and scroll down to the Privacy Controls section

For Snaps, tap Contact Me and choose either:

Friends - Only your Friends are able to send you Snaps
Friends and Contacts - Only your Friends and Contacts are able to send you Snaps

For Stories, tap View My Story and choose either:

Everyone - This allows anyone to view your Story (even strangers)
My Friends - Only your Friends are able to view your Story
Custom - Choose which Friends can see your Stories

My Eyes Only
You can move pictures to this folder within your Memories. It is PIN-protected so that, even if your phone is stolen or your account hacked, no one can access those Snaps without your PIN.

If you’ve never used My Eyes Only before, you will need to do a quick setup to choose your passcode. Learn more about My Eyes Only: https://help.snapchat.com/hc/en-us/sections/5689784880532-Using-My-Eyes-Only

My AI
My AI chatbot can be accessed in Chat and is available for users to ask questions and have conversations. Only users with a Snapchat+ subscription can remove My AI from their Chat list. If you are experiencing problems, tap the Gear Icon, scroll down to I Need Help and select My AI for answers to common queries. To report a Chat:

Press and hold on the Chat response and tap Report
Explain why you are reporting it
Tap Submit

What is Roblox?
Roblox is home to millions of immersive experiences, from gaming to social hangouts, to concerts, sports, fashion shows, education, and entertainment. Roblox is built by a global community of millions of developers and creators using Roblox tools and technology.

Chat & Privacy
All chat on Roblox is filtered to prevent inappropriate content, behaviour, and personally identifiable information from being visible on the site. This covers both private and public communications.

Players aged 13+ have the ability to use more words and phrases than younger players.

Age Verification
Age Verification is a new feature that was introduced for testing in 2023. Age Verification will allow you to access age-appropriate content such as experiences for people 17 and up.

Chat & Interaction Settings

Click the Gear icon in the upper right corner and click Settings
On the right hand side of the Settings page click the Privacy option
Here you can adjust the Contact Settings and Other Settings
Players aged 12 and under can select either Friends or No-one, while players aged 13+ have additional interaction options
Enabling Account Restrictions provides access to content that is appropriate for all audiences. Additionally, Communication Settings will be set to Off

Voice Chat
Chat with voice allows eligible 13+ users to communicate using their voice in Roblox experiences. You can opt into Chat with voice by visiting the Settings page.

Reporting A Game
To report an entire game:

Go to the About page for the game you wish to report
In the lower right-hand corner of the Description box, click the red Report Abuse button

The Report Abuse button is in the same place on both the desktop and mobile versions.

Reporting Abuse In-Game
Using the Report Abuse feature in a game will send information directly to Roblox. To report abuse from another user:

Click on the Menu button in the top-left of the screen
Click the Flag icon next to a user's name, or click the tab at the top of the menu and select which user to report
Click on the Type of Abuse drop-down menu to select the inappropriate action
Enter details in the Short Description box
Click Submit to finalise

Reporting Chat On The Website
To report chat made by another user:

Click the Gear icon in the upper-right corner of the chat window
Click the three dots next to the username and select Report
Press the red Report button
Fill out the report form
Click the Report Abuse button to submit

Blocking Users In-Game

Click on [your username] in the upper-right corner of the game screen
Click the user on the Player List/Leaderboard
Select Block User

You can also choose to Unblock them or Report Abuse directly from this menu as well.

Blocked users are indicated by a circle with a line through it next to their username.

Parental Controls

Click the Gear icon in the upper right corner and click Settings
Select Parental Controls in the menu on the left-hand side of the screen
In the Parent PIN section, press the Toggle button
You will be asked to create and confirm the PIN
When you’re done, press Add

All parental control settings are protected by the account PIN, which will need to be entered in order to make any changes.

Creating a PIN requires a verified email address. You will be prompted to add and verify your email if the account does not have one.

Experience Guidelines
Experience Guidelines recommends the content suitability of an experience. Age recommendations are grounded in child development research and informed by industry standards. You can use parental controls to manage the age-rated content your child has access to.

Roblox Premium
Roblox has a monthly subscription service called Roblox Premium. It gives you access to features including buying, selling, and trading items, as well as increased revenue share on all sales in your games. Robux revenue generated from users’ own creations that are not owned by Roblox can be converted into currency.

If you have Roblox Premium, you will receive a monthly Robux deposit and have the icon below next to your account name.

What are Robux and how are they used?
Robux are Roblox’s in-game currency and can be used to purchase in-game upgrades or avatar accessories.

You can earn or purchase Robux by:

Receiving a lump sum allowance as a Roblox Premium member
Purchasing Robux from the Robux page

Be careful making purchases, as they can quickly add up.

What is WhatsApp?
WhatsApp is a social messaging app from Meta that is used by over 2.7 billion people every month. It lets users message others via their mobile network, Wifi network or, via WhatsApp Web, their broadband network.

Users can send text, voice and video messages, make voice and video calls and share information and documents.

WhatsApp Web lets users connect their mobile to a web browser. If your child is not allowed to use their mobile, they might instead connect to the web app to continue messaging friends. However, they will need their smartphone to connect.

How It Works
WhatsApp let users send messages and content to contacts added to their account. To use the service in the UK, users must be 13 years old or older (as of April 2024. The minimum age for WhatsApp used to be 16).

Only people who have a WhatsApp account can send and receive messages through the app or WhatsApp Web. However, depending on your child’s privacy settings, anyone can contact them or add them to group chats.

By default, the app shows whether a message was delivered, read, seen or played. These are called Read Receipts. However, users can disable Read Receipts in the app’s settings.

Is WhatsApp Safe for Children?
Meta requires users in the UK to be 13 or older to use the app. This lowered from 16 in 2024.

This reduced age requirement allows more young people to use the platform. Additionally, children under this age still use WhatsApp to connect and communicate with friends, family and communities. While this can benefit children’s wellbeing, parents must take actions to make sure their accounts are safe at any age. Risks include inappropriate content or contact from strangers.

WhatsApp Privacy Settings
What information can users see and share?

Last Seen: This is a timestamp that shows users the last time your child used their WhatsApp account. Users can customise who can see this in settings.
Status Message: This can be customised to show what the person wants to share with their contacts.
Online: This tells your contacts if you are online. Users can customise who can see this in settings.

Remember: By default, WhatsApp automatically sets privacy settings to public. If you don’t share your last seen information, you won’t be able to see other people’s last seen information. This applies to Read Receipts and other features as well.

Settings to manage who can see information
There are four settings to manage what information is shared:

Everyone: This option will show your information to all users.
My contacts: Only your contacts can see information about you.
My contacts except…: Users can choose to hide their information from individual contacts.
Nobody: No content will be shown to any user. Your child can change this setting to “My contacts” so that only their contacts are able to see this information. However, you should monitor who they add.

Privacy and safety settings
Other customisable features include:

turn off location-sharing
managing disappearing messages
customise groups
enabling fingerprint lock
setting up two-step verification

End-to-End Encryption
End-to-end encryption is a form of message security. It means that only the sender and recipient can read what’s sent. So, moderators and third parties cannot view any of the content.

WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption in all messages. This means that WhatsApp cannot view the messages sent between users. While this offers more security for those over 18, this could lead to online safety risks for children and teens.

WhatsApp Communities and Groups
WhatsApp groups are normal chats that include multiple users. Anyone can add your child to a group unless you change their group privacy settings within the app. Just like one-to-one chats, users can send text, video, images and more. These chats are end-to-end encrypted as well.

WhatsApp Communities works similar to online forums. A community might contain multiple groups that people can join and chat to others in. Again, these messages are encrypted.

Community admins can share announcements and updates while members can create smaller groups.

Children joining WhatsApp Communities advertised online face risks of inappropriate content, grooming and more. Encourage your child to gain your permission before joining any community or group so that you can check if it’s safe.

Blocking, Deleting and Reporting
To make sure your child only receives messages from people they trust they can block, delete or report users.

Delete users: Show and encourage your child how to delete users they don’t know or who make them feel worried or angry.
Block users: As well as deleting users, show your child how to block users. Blocked users cannot contact them. Any updates to their status, profile image and last seen timestamps are hidden. Users will not notify them.
Reporting users: If you receive a message from an unknown contact, you can Report and block them. This will report the user and add the user your Blocked list.

Live Location
Location tracking (Live Location) is automatically turned off on WhatsApp. When turned on, users can see your live location. Users can control how long they share their location for.

When reviewing your child’s WhatsApp settings, ensure this remains turned off.

Fingerprint and Screen Locks
For additional security, users can set up a Screen or Fingerprint lock. These features are different for Android and Apple.

FIVE TIPS TO KEEP CHILDREN SAFE ON WHATSAPP
1. Review privacy settings
WhatsApp has a range of privacy and security settings to keep users safe. Work with your teen to customise groups, app access, live location and more to help them take ownership.

Customise contacts
Show your child how to report and block unwanted contacts. Also, talk about reasons they might need to take those actions.

Then, work with them to add their friends and family. Review and talk about their contacts regularly.

Talk about personal information
Make sure your child understands what personal information is. This could include their full name, where they live, what school they go to and questions about their family members.

Remember that questions like their mother’s maiden name, pet’s name or similar topics might indicate someone is searching for security details.

Talk about the importance of keeping that information private on WhatsApp.

Show them where to get support
If something goes wrong or they see something worrying on WhatsApp, make sure they know to come to you, and talk about other sources of support.

These sources might include:

contacting a helpline like Childline or The Mix
speaking to a counsellor or therapist, which could be offered through their school
talking to another trusted adult like a aunt, uncle or grandparent
using safe, child-friendly forums like Ditch the Label

Check In Regularly
Once you’ve done all of the above, check in with them regularly to review settings and how they use WhatsApp.

Remind them that these reviews and chats are about their safety, not about your trust in them. If they wonder why it’s necessary, make sure you give them the time to help them understand.

Work together to decide on boundaries to support them.

Parental Control Tools on Netflix
Netflix is an internet entertainment service available to millions of members in over 190 countries, offering TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres, languages and devices. Netflix’s parental controls help families manage and enjoy content safely. Members can customise the parental control tools to meet the needs of their families.

How to Set Up a Children’s Profile
Setting up a children’s profile is the first step that enables you to manage age appropriate content.

Access your Manage Profiles page by clicking More in your app or selecting the drop down menu in a web browser.
Select Add Profile and name the profile.
To use the Netflix Children Experience for ages 12 and under, select Children.
Select Continue.

How to Choose Maturity Ratings or Block Shows
Viewing restrictions allow members to customise maturity ratings and provide the ability to remove specific titles from each profile.

Access your Account
Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile you want to manage.
Change the Viewing Restrictions
Enter your Netflix password.
Set the maturity rating for the shows and movies you want to allow in that profile.
Under Title Restrictions, type the name of the title and click on it. You will see a list of restricted titles listed in red.
Select Submit.

How to Lock Profiles on Your Account
Profiles can be locked with a PIN code. Before content can be viewed, a PIN code must be entered.

Access your Account
Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile you want to lock.
Change the Profile Lock
Enter your Netflix account password on the screen.
Check the box to Require a PIN to access the selected profile.
Enter four numbers into the PIN field. This will be your Profile Lock PIN. If you don’t want children to add viewing profiles to your account without entering a PIN, select Require PIN to add new profiles.
Select Submit.

How to Turn Autoplay On or Off
When the Autoplay next episode setting is enabled, the next episode in a series will play automatically. This can be disabled through the account page.

Access your Account
Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile for which you want to turn off autoplay.
Change the Playback
Check or uncheck the option to Autoplay next episode in a series on all devices.
Select Save.

How to Access Viewing History for a Children’s Profile
You can see the content your children have watched if they have their own profiles on your account.

Access your Account
Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile you want to manage.
Open the profile you want to see the viewing history of.
Open the Viewing activity.
Use the Show More button to load additional titles if you are seeing a limited list.

Do you know how to share with a direct group of your followers?
With Instagram Direct, you can send messages, photos and videos to a select group of people. Messages won’t appear in Feed, Search or your profile. Posts sent through Instagram Direct can't be shared through Instagram to other sites (like Facebook or Twitter) and won't appear on hashtag or location pages.

To send a message using Instagram Direct:

Tap in the top right or swipe left from anywhere in Feed
Tap the button located in the top right of the screen
Select people you'd like to send a message to, then tap create chat
Type a message. You can also tap to take and send a disappearing photo or video, or to select a photo or video from your library
Tap Send

To message someone you follow, you can also go to their profile and tap Message.

Alternatively you can also share a post or story with a selected close friends list.

To share a story with close friends, create the story and then click Close Friends at the bottom
To share a post with Close Friends, create your post and then select - Audience - Close Friends
To choose or edit your close friends list go to Settings and Privacy, located at the top Right of your profile, scroll down to Close Friends and then select/deselect

Do You Know How to Block Someone?
When you block someone, they can’t see your profile or posts.

To block or unblock someone:

Go to their profile by finding them in your followers list or by searching for their name or username
Tap their username to open their profile and then Tap (iOS) or (Android) in the top right hand corner
Tap Block User

To unblock someone, follow the steps above and then tap Unblock User.

Do You Know How to Delete or Report Comments?
You can delete comments you’ve made, including photo or video captions, and comments that other people have left on your posts. You can also report comments you see on any post as being abusive or spam/scam.

Tap below the post or tap any comment.
Swipe left over the comment (iPhone) or tap and hold the comment (Android) you'd like to delete.
Choose if you want to Delete Comment (bin) or Delete Comment and Report Abuse (!).

Hide Comments and Message Requests
You can also choose to hide comments that may contain offensive words, phrases or emojis as well as unwanted message requests by turning on the following settings:

Go to your profile, then tap then click Settings
Go to How others can interact with you on the left
Click on Hidden words, and then you can:
- Click next to Hide comments to turn it off
- Click next to Advanced comment filtering to turn it on
- Click next to Hide message requests to turn it on

Do You Know How to Delete Your Account?
When you delete your account, your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers will be permanently removed. If you'd just like to take a break, you can temporarily disable your account instead.

To temporarily disable your account:

Log into instagram.com from a computer
Click your username in the top right and then click Edit Profile
Click Temporarily disable my account in the bottom right

To permanently delete your account:

Go to com/accounts/remove/request/permanent/ If you're not logged into Instagram on the web, you'll be asked to log in first. You can't delete your account from within the Instagram app
Select an option from the drop-down menu next to Why are you deleting your account? and re-enter your password
Select Permanently delete my account

Do You Know How to Report Content?
If you see something that’s not following Instagram’s Community Guidelines (e.g. nudity or self-harm), you can report it from within the app or on instagram.com.

Tap (iOS) or (Android) above the post
Tap Report
Follow the on-screen instructions

If you want to report someone that is impersonating you or someone you know, you can do that from within the Instagram app or on instagram.com.

Tap (iOS) or (Android) in the top right of the profile
Tap Report
Follow the on-screen instructions

Do You Know Who Your Followers Are?
If you have a public account, anyone can follow you and see your posts. If you have a private account, you have to approve every request to follow you and people will only be able to see your photos or videos if you approve them as a follower.

If your account is set to private, you can remove people from your followers list:

Go to your profile
Tap Followers at the top of the screen
Tap (iPhone) or (Android) to the right of the follower you'd like to remove, then select Remove

You can also block someone to stop them following you. (See: Do you know how to block someone?)

Instagram has a simple privacy setting: you either share your posts with anyone (a public account) or only share with people whom you have approved to follow you (a private account).

To set your account to private:

Go to your profile, then tap
Tap Settings
Tap Privacy > Account Privacy
Tap next to Private Account to make your account private

Do You Know About Instagram’s Anti-Bullying Features?
Sometimes blocking or reporting someone doesn’t feel right. Restrict empowers you to quietly protect your account from unwanted interactions.

You can Restrict by:

Swiping left on a comment
Using the Privacy tab in Settings
Selecting the three dots on the user’s profile

Once you have Restricted a user, their comments on your posts will only be visible to them. You can view their comments by tapping “See Comment”, then approving, deleting, or ignoring them.

You will not receive their notifications and direct messages will go to Message Requests. If you read their messages, the Restricted user will not be able to see your online status or read receipts.

Encouraging Positive Interactions
This feature notifies you if you’ve written a comment that may be considered offensive. It gives you the chance to reflect and remove the comment before the recipient receives it.

Privacy Settings
Check your privacy settings: Click on your Profile Picture in the top right corner of Facebook, and select Settings and Privacy. Scroll down to Audience and Privacy, and adjust your settings to control who can see what you share on Facebook.

Facebook’s privacy settings help you control who can see your stuff on Facebook and how you connect with other people. To find out more, check out the Privacy Centre here: facebook.com/about/basics

Consider the amount of information you want to share with different people. Do you want to share the same things with your work colleagues as your friends?

Facebook Live is another way to share what’s happening with your friends. Videos on Facebook Live are streamed live to Facebook at the point of recording, so it is extra important to make sure you are sharing it with your intended audience. You can choose to share your Facebook Live with all of your friends, publicly, or with a group you have created.

Who Can See My Content?
Consider only letting your “Friends” see everything.

Remember that when tagging is involved, you need to be mindful that often ‘friends of friends’ can also see who and what you tag. For up-to-date tagging info, visit: https://www.facebook.com/help/124970597582337/

Who Can See Your Posts?
Facebook has privacy controls so you can set your audience to: Private, Friends, Friends of Friends, Public, and your custom Lists before you post a status update. The Activity Log is only visible to you. This tool makes it easier for you to review your posts and make changes to the audience of past content.

You can check out what your timeline looks like to the public by using the View As tool. Visit your profile and select the ellipses (…) under your cover photo. Select View As under your Profile Settings.

Keep an eye on your timeline

Click the ellipsis (…) on your cover photo
Select Review Posts and Tags
Click on Review posts you’re tagged in and review who you would like to view tags from

Ensure you can’t be found in a public web search

Select Settings and Privacy and then click Settings
Select Privacy Settings
Scroll down to How people find and contact you?
Find Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?
Click Edit and remove tick from the box

How Can I Change the Ads I See?
Meta’s Accounts Centre can be used to find out more information about how ads are presented to you. Access your Settings and find Ad Preferences on the left hand side. Here you’ll be able to adjust your ad settings and see your recent ad activity

Changing your preferences
To understand why you’re seeing a particular ad:

Click the ellipsis (…) in the right hand corner of the ad
Select Why am I seeing this?

To hide ads that you don’t want to see:

Click the ellipsis (…) in the right hand corner of the ad
Select Hide Ad
Fill in the form that follows to help Facebook understand which ads you do and don’t want to see
Even after making changes, you might still see ads
that seem related to things you removed. E.g. You may see an ad if it’s broadly targeted in a town or city
You can also report the ad if you think it goes against community guidelines

You can find out more about Facebook Adverts and how to Manage your Advert Preferences & Settings here: http://on.fb.me/1kjXBwn

Privacy Settings
Report abuse to Facebook
If you feel that you are being bullied or are experiencing harm on Facebook, you can report it on the site using the ellipsis (…) in the corner of any post and selecting Report post.

To learn more about reporting go to facebook.com/help and type Reporting in the ask a question box.

Remember to take evidence (such as screenshots) and block abusive users by clicking the ellipsis (…) on the front of their Timeline and selecting Block. Blocking someone means they will no longer be able to contact you on Facebook.

You can track progress of your reports using the Support Inbox, which will also alert you when a decision has been made about your report. You can find this by clicking your Profile Icon (top right) selecting Help and Support and selecting Support Inbox. If content isn’t removed, the reporter will be told why.

Reporting features remain the same across all devices.

How Do I Deactivate My Account?
If you deactivate your Facebook account, your timeline will not be erased, but temporarily suspended. No one will be able to find your account and it will no longer appear in Friends lists.

To deactivate your account through Accounts Centre:

Click your Profile Picture in the top right of Facebook
Select Settings & Privacy, then click Settings
Click Accounts Centre at the top left of your screen
Click Personal details, under Account Settings
Click Account ownership and control
Click Deactivation or deletion
Choose the account or profile you want to deactivate
Select Deactivate account

Deactivate your account through your Facebook Settings if you don't have access to the new Pages experience.

Click your Profile Picture in the top right of Facebook
Select Settings & privacy, then click Settings
Click Privacy, then click Your Facebook Information
Click Deactivation and Deletion
Choose Deactivate Account, then click Continue to Account Deactivation and follow the instructions to confirm

All data and information in the account will be kept and can be reactivated at any time.

If you want to permanently delete your account, you can learn how to do so here: https://www.facebook.com/help/224562897555674

Useful Facebook Tools
Safety Check
If enough people in an area affected by a crisis (E.g. Earthquake) post about an incident, Facebook’s Safety Check is activated. This allows you to let your friends know that you’re safe.

Safety at Facebook
You can find all of Facebook’s policies, tools and resources in one place: safety.meta.com

Here you can find information topics about Safety Tools and Policies, Online Child Protection, Mental Health & Well-Being, Bullying & Harassment and Digital Literacy.

Facebook are always updating their community standards. To see what is and isn’t allowed you can read these here: transparency.fb.com/policies/community-standards/

Meta works with external partners and has a Safety Advisory Council (which includes partners of the UK Safer Internet Centre) to gather feedback from their community to develop everything needed to keep you safe.

How to Manage Friend Lists
Think about creating ‘custom lists’ in order to share different information with your chosen audiences. You will have a choice of Restricted, Acquaintances and Close friends lists, as well as the option of creating another list.

To create a custom friend list, you should log in to Facebook on a computer.

How to create custom lists

On your feed, click Friends in the left menu, scroll down and select Custom lists
Then select Create List
Write in a name for the list and click Confirm
Select Add Friends and enter the names of friends you would like to add
Select Save

The new list will now be an option when you add friends to lists.

Organise lists

Choose a Friend List
Click Add/Remove button (Top right)
Untick a friend to remove
Click on people you want to add to the list
Click Save button

Take Control of Your Apps and Games
Control your Applications
To remove an app or game, turn it off, or adjust the privacy settings:

Click your Profile Picture on the top right of your Facebook page
Select Settings and Privacy, then click Settings. Click Apps & Websites

Then either:

Select the app, game or website you’d like to remove and click Remove or
Select the app, and adjust its settings and the information you choose to share with it

Once you’ve removed an app, game or website, it should no longer post to your timeline. You can also control the game & app notifications. Here you can choose which apps, games or websites are linked to your Facebook account and adjust settings for these.

Blocking App invites from friends

Click on your Profile Picture and select Settings and Privacy
Select Settings
Click Blocking in the left menu
In the Block app invites section, enter the name or email address of the person you want to stop receiving app invites from

Friends will not be notified when you block app invites from them.