What Should You Share on Social Media (and Keep Private)?

You take a photograph at a family gathering.

You want to share the moment with friends.

Before posting, you may wonder:

Is this safe to share?

The answer is not always a simple yes or no.

A photograph of dinner may be harmless. But the same photograph could also show a house number, a child’s school uniform, a prescription bottle, a boarding pass, a vehicle license plate, or a location tag identifying exactly where the family is.

A birthday post may feel warm and ordinary. But including a full birth date, family relationship, hometown, and maiden name could reveal information sometimes used to identify a person or answer account-recovery questions.

Social media does not require you to choose between sharing everything and sharing nothing.

The goal is to share the part of the moment that matters without automatically sharing every detail surrounding it.

Sharing Is Not All or Nothing

Social media can help people:

• stay connected with friends and family
• share photographs and celebrations
• exchange useful information
• participate in communities
• support causes
• discuss hobbies and interests
• keep distant relatives included

Privacy awareness does not mean you must stop doing these things.

It means pausing long enough to decide:

• what you are sharing
• who needs to see it
• whether it reveals anything unintended
• whether another person has agreed to be included

The Federal Trade Commission recommends thinking before posting because photographs, videos, and messages can affect your privacy, reputation, and the people around you. See the FTC’s sharing and privacy guidance.

Start With the Audience

Before deciding whether to post something, ask who will be able to see it.

A post that feels reasonable for ten relatives may not be appropriate for the general public.

Facebook’s official Privacy Checkup guide allows users to review who can see profile details, future posts, past posts, and contact information.

Public Means More Than “My Friends Can See It”

When a post is public, it may be visible to:

• friends
• friends of friends
• strangers
• search engines
• people outside the platform
• organizations or media outlets
• automated tools that collect public information

Facebook explains that content shared publicly may be seen by anyone, including people outside Facebook. See its audience selector guide.

Before publishing, look near your name or the Post button for an audience label such as Public, Friends, Followers, Close Friends, or Only Me.

Privacy Settings Help, but They Are Not a Guarantee

Privacy settings can reduce who is allowed to see your posts.

They cannot completely control what happens afterward.

Someone in the selected audience may:

• take a screenshot
• save the photograph
• copy the text
• show the post to someone else
• forward a direct message
• photograph the screen
• repeat the information offline

A useful question is:

Would I still be comfortable if someone in this audience saved or repeated this?

The FTC notes that even content shared through privacy settings or disappearing features may be captured and preserved by another person.

What Information Should Usually Stay Private?

Some information is more sensitive because it can be used to identify you, locate you, access an account, impersonate you, or make a scam more convincing.

Avoid publicly sharing:

• Social Security numbers
• passwords
• verification codes
• bank or credit card information
• account numbers
• driver’s license or passport numbers
• insurance identification numbers
• medical record numbers
• tax documents
• complete boarding passes
• photographs of checks
• security answers
• private legal or financial documents

These details should not appear in a post, comment, public photograph, profile, or unexpected direct-message conversation.

Ordinary Personal Details Can Add Up

One ordinary detail may not reveal much.

Several details collected across months or years can create a fuller picture.

For example, separate posts might reveal:

• your full name
• birth date
• hometown
• mother’s maiden name
• first pet
• high school
• graduation year
• employer
• favorite sports team
• travel schedule
• family relationships

Someone could combine that information when attempting to guess passwords, answer recovery questions, impersonate a family member, or create a believable scam message.

The FBI has warned that popular question-and-answer trends can reveal details commonly used in account-recovery questions. See its warning about social media quizzes.

Be Careful With “Getting to Know You” Posts

Social media games may ask you to share:

• your first car
• your childhood street
• your first concert
• your favorite teacher
• your high school mascot
• the name of your first pet
• where you met your spouse

The post may be harmless fun.

But some of the answers overlap with traditional security questions.

You do not need to participate in every trend. You can answer broadly, skip sensitive questions, or enjoy reading other responses without posting your own.

Your Current Location Deserves Extra Thought

A post can reveal where you are through:

• a location tag
• a check-in
• a map screenshot
• a visible street sign
• a building name
• a restaurant menu
• an event ticket
• a recognizable landmark
• the background of a photograph

Real-time location sharing may tell people both where you are and where you are not.

Before posting, ask:

• Do people need to know the exact place?
• Could I share the photograph after I leave?
• Would a broader location be enough?
• Is a child or vulnerable family member also at this location?

The FTC recommends checking location settings and considering whether each app genuinely needs access to your location.

Photographs May Contain Location Information

A phone camera may save location information with a photograph.

This information is sometimes called geolocation data, metadata, or EXIF data.

Whether that information is preserved or shown depends on the phone, photo service, social platform, and sharing method.

The FBI warns that photographs can reveal where people live, work, attend school, or spend time. Its photo location guidance recommends reviewing camera and app location settings.

Google Photos also explains that a photograph may contain a location added by the camera, by the user, or through location estimates. See its photo location controls.

A Photo Can Reveal a Location Without Metadata

Turning off location data does not remove every clue.

A photograph may still show:

• a house number
• a street name
• a school sign
• a workplace logo
• a hotel name
• a recognizable view
• a vehicle registration sticker
• a local business
• a map or itinerary

Google notes that people may be able to recognize a location from landmarks even when location details are not included.

Check both the photograph’s settings and what is visible inside the image.

Consider Posting Travel Photographs After You Return

Sharing a trip can be enjoyable.

Posting the exact travel schedule in real time can also reveal that your home is unoccupied or that family members are difficult to reach.

Before a trip, avoid publicly posting:

• departure and return dates
• flight numbers
• hotel reservations
• boarding passes
• full itineraries
• real-time check-ins
• the location of children traveling with you

The FBI recommends waiting until after returning home to publish vacation photographs and avoiding public posts containing flight, hotel, and activity details. See its travel posting guidance.

Travel Details Can Make Scams More Convincing

Suppose you publicly announce that you are traveling abroad.

A scammer could contact a relative and claim that you:

• lost your wallet
• were arrested
• missed a flight
• need emergency money
• were injured
• have been kidnapped

The public travel post gives the story a believable detail.

The FBI has warned that criminals may use travel posts to target relatives with virtual kidnapping and emergency scams. See its travel scam warning.

For related red flags, see our guide to spotting online scams.

Share the Memory Without Sharing the Schedule

You can still share travel experiences more privately.

Look at the Background Before Posting a Photo

A photograph’s main subject may be safe while the background reveals something private.

Look for:

• mail with an address
• prescription bottles
• medical paperwork
• computer screens
• work documents
• school schedules
• credit or membership cards
• license plates
• house numbers
• keys
• family calendars
• travel confirmations

Crop, blur, cover, or retake the photograph when necessary.

Ask Before Sharing Someone Else’s Photograph

A photograph belongs to more than the person pressing the camera button.

Other people in the image may have different privacy preferences.

Before posting, ask:

“Are you comfortable with me sharing this?”

The person may be comfortable with:

• a private family group
• a direct message
• a photograph without a name
• a photograph after the event

They may not be comfortable with a public post or tag.

The University of Minnesota Extension encourages families to teach online consent, including asking before photographing, tagging, or sharing where another person is. See its guide to digital privacy and consent.

Children and Grandchildren Need Privacy Too

Parents and grandparents may naturally want to share photographs and milestones.

Before posting, consider whether the content reveals:

• the child’s full name
• birth date
• school
• teacher
• classroom
• sports team
• daily schedule
• home address
• medical information
• embarrassing behavior
• a private family difficulty

A school uniform, backpack logo, event banner, or team schedule may identify where a child regularly spends time.

University of Minnesota Extension recommends being intentional about “sharenting” and avoiding posts that a child may not want available permanently.

A Child May Not Want the Same Story Shared Later

A photograph that seems funny to an adult may feel embarrassing to the child later.

Be especially careful with posts involving:

• toilet training
• discipline
• tantrums
• medical treatment
• school difficulties
• mental health
• family conflict
• partial nudity
• private messages

When a child is old enough to understand, ask for permission.

Even younger children benefit when adults model the idea that people should have a voice in how their image and story are shared.

Family News May Not Be Yours to Announce

Before posting family information, ask whether the person involved has announced it themselves.

This includes:

• pregnancy
• engagement
• birth
• illness
• hospitalization
• divorce
• job loss
• moving
• death
• financial difficulty

A family member may want to tell certain people privately, wait for more information, or keep the event offline.

A caring post can still violate someone’s privacy when it shares news they were not ready to make public.

Health Information Deserves Special Care

You may choose to share your own health experience.

That does not automatically give you permission to share someone else’s diagnosis, medication, appointment, prognosis, or treatment.

Before posting health news, ask:

• Whose information is this?
• Did they agree to the post?
• Does the audience need this level of detail?
• Could a private group or message work better?
• Does the photograph show paperwork, identification, or account numbers?

Do Not Post Sensitive Documents

People sometimes share documents to celebrate, ask for help, or show proof of an event.

A document photograph may expose:

• full legal names
• addresses
• signatures
• birth dates
• account numbers
• barcodes
• confirmation numbers
• medical details
• employee identification

Examples include:

• driver’s licenses
• passports
• boarding passes
• checks
• tax forms
• prescriptions
• insurance cards
• concert tickets
• vehicle titles
• closing documents

If you need help understanding a document, share it privately with an appropriate trusted person and cover unnecessary identifying information.

Phone Numbers, Email Addresses, and Birthdays Need an Audience

Contact information can be useful on a business page or professional profile.

It may be unnecessary on a personal public profile.

Consider limiting who can see:

• your personal phone number
• primary email address
• full birth date
• home address
• family relationships
• places you have lived

Facebook’s Privacy Checkup includes controls for profile details such as phone number, email, birthday, and relationship status.

You Can Celebrate a Birthday Without Publishing the Full Date

A birthday post does not always need the person’s birth year or complete date.

Instead of:

“Happy 70th birthday to John Smith, born July 12, 1956!”

You could write:

“Happy birthday, John! We are so grateful to celebrate with you.”

The celebration remains while fewer identifying details become public.

Work Information Can Reveal More Than Expected

A work-related post may show:

• an employee badge
• a computer screen
• a client name
• a schedule
• a conference pass
• a restricted workplace area
• an internal document
• a building access code

Review workplace policies before sharing photographs or information connected to your job, volunteer work, clients, or organization.

Public Groups Are Public

A group may feel like a conversation among familiar people.

But a public group can usually be viewed by people who are not members.

Posts and comments in public groups may appear:

• in search results
• on your profile
• in friends’ feeds
• outside the platform

Facebook notes that posts and comments in public groups and on public Pages are public.

Before discussing a personal problem in a group, check whether the group is public, private, or hidden.

A Comment Can Reveal Personal Information Too

Privacy decisions do not apply only to original posts.

A public comment might reveal:

• where you live
• where you bank
• your health condition
• your travel plans
• your family member’s name
• which services you use
• when you are home alone

Check the audience of the original post before adding personal details in the comments.

Tagging Can Expand the Audience

When you tag another person, the post may become visible to that person’s friends or followers, depending on the platform and settings.

Tagging can also connect:

• a name to a face
• a person to a location
• a family member to a relationship
• a child to a school or event

Ask before tagging someone, particularly in a location, travel, work, medical, or family post.

Facebook explains that tagging may expand the potential audience to include friends of the person tagged. Its privacy settings guide also describes timeline and tagging review tools.

Stories Are Temporary, but Not Necessarily Private

A story may disappear from the main view after a certain period.

During that time, viewers may still:

• take a screenshot
• record the screen
• save the information
• repeat what they saw

Use the same judgment for stories that you would use for permanent posts.

Temporary display does not guarantee temporary existence.

Direct Messages Are More Limited, Not Completely Controlled

A direct message is usually more private than a public post because you choose the recipient.

However, the recipient can still:

• forward the message
• take a screenshot
• save the photograph
• show the conversation to someone else
• have their account compromised

Do not send passwords, verification codes, financial details, or identification documents merely because the conversation is private.

Strangers Can Use Personal Details to Build Trust

A person who contacts you may mention:

• your relative’s name
• your hometown
• a recent vacation
• a school
• a pet
• a workplace
• a hobby

Those details can make the person seem legitimate.

The FBI warns that information from social media can be used to create convincing phishing messages and scams targeting you or your family. See its personal information warning.

Knowing a family detail does not prove that a caller, message sender, or online account is trustworthy.

Privacy Settings Should Be Reviewed Regularly

Platforms add features and change menus over time.

Review settings occasionally rather than assuming the choices made years ago still match your preferences.

Look for sections such as:

• Privacy
• Audience and visibility
• Profile and tagging
• Location
• Permissions
• Activity log
• Apps and websites
• Advertising preferences
• Blocked accounts

CISA recommends regularly managing privacy and security settings to limit the information shared with apps and companies. See its data privacy guidance.

Review App Permissions on the Phone

A social media app may request access to:

• location
• photos
• camera
• microphone
• contacts
• notifications

Some permissions are necessary for features you use. Others may be optional.

The FTC recommends reviewing which device features each app can access and turning off permissions that are not needed. See its guide to app data collection.

For help navigating phone settings more generally, see using your smartphone confidently.

Use Two-Factor Authentication

Privacy settings control who can see information.

Account security controls who can enter the account.

Use a strong, unique password and turn on two-factor authentication when available.

This can help protect the account even when someone obtains the password.

For a plain-language explanation, see what two-factor authentication means.

Review Older Posts

Your sharing preferences may have changed.

Old posts may contain:

• former addresses
• old phone numbers
• children’s school information
• public family photographs
• past travel schedules
• workplace details

You may be able to:

• change the audience
• remove a location
• delete the post
• remove a tag
• archive the content
• limit the audience for older posts

Reviewing the activity log or profile as another person sees it can help identify information you no longer want public.

What Can You Comfortably Share?

There is no universal list that fits every person.

In many situations, lower-risk sharing may include:

• hobbies
• recipes
• books and entertainment
• general opinions
• nature photographs without identifying location clues
• family photographs shared with permission
• celebrations after the event
• travel memories after returning home
• general updates without private documents or schedules
• public professional information intended for customers or colleagues

The information may still be personal, but it is less likely to expose an account, precise location, private family matter, or identifying document.

Use the “Necessary Detail” Test

Before posting, ask:

Which details are necessary for the purpose of this post?

If the purpose is to share a birthday photograph, the home address is unnecessary.

If the purpose is to celebrate a trip, the live hotel location is unnecessary.

If the purpose is to congratulate a grandchild, the school schedule is unnecessary.

If the purpose is to ask for general advice, a full medical record is unnecessary.

Remove the details that do not help the intended audience understand the message.

A Simple Before-You-Post Check

What If You Already Shared Too Much?

Do not panic.

Take practical steps based on what was exposed.

1. Delete the post or change its audience.
2. Remove the location, tag, or identifying photograph.
3. Ask anyone who reshared it to remove their copy.
4. Change a password or security answer if it was exposed.
5. Contact the relevant organization if an account number, document, or identification card was shown.
6. Watch for suspicious messages that use the information.
7. Report impersonation, harassment, or unauthorized images to the platform.

Deleting the post cannot guarantee that no copy exists, but it reduces continued exposure.

Common Sharing Questions Usually Have a Practical Answer

You Are Still Choosing What to Tell People

Social media can make ordinary sharing feel technical. There are audiences, tags, stories, check-ins, location data, permissions, public groups, private messages, profile details, and account settings.

But underneath all of that, you are still doing something familiar.

You are deciding which parts of your life to tell other people.

The difference is that the audience may be larger, the information may travel farther, and the post may last longer than expected.

The tools changed. The judgment did not.

When you are unsure whether to share, return to a few simple questions: Who needs to see this? Does it reveal where someone is? Does it include private family information? Did the other people agree? Is anything sensitive visible in the background? Would I be comfortable if someone saved it?

One step at a time is enough. You do not need to stop sharing photographs, celebrations, hobbies, or family updates. You only need a reliable habit of separating the part you want to share from the details that should remain private.

Stay in the know. Continue to grow.

Important Note

This article is for general education and awareness. It is not legal, cybersecurity, privacy, identity-theft, financial, medical, child-safety, family-law, employment, crisis, or professional advice.

Social media privacy settings, location controls, tagging rules, audience options, metadata handling, account permissions, reporting procedures, and data practices vary by platform, device, account, region, and software version. They may change over time.

Privacy settings reduce exposure but cannot guarantee that content will not be copied, captured, reshared, searched, collected, or revealed by another person.

For exposed financial information, identity documents, threats, stalking, child-safety concerns, nonconsensual images, account compromise, harassment, or other serious privacy problems, contact the platform, financial institution, relevant organization, law enforcement agency, attorney, cybersecurity professional, or another appropriate qualified resource as necessary.

Frequently Asked Questions

What personal information should never be posted publicly?

Avoid posting Social Security numbers, passwords, verification codes, financial account numbers, identification numbers, full private documents, medical record numbers, signatures, and complete boarding passes.

Is it safe to share my birthday?

A general birthday celebration may be fine, but consider limiting the full birth date and year, particularly when other identifying information is already public.

Should I post my phone number or email address?

A public business contact may be appropriate on a professional page.

For a personal account, limit your primary phone number and email address to people who need them.

Is a Friends-only post private?

It is more limited than a public post, but it is not completely private.

A friend can still save, screenshot, forward, or repeat the information.

Can people see my location in a photograph?

Possibly.

The photograph may contain saved location data, a location tag, or visible clues such as landmarks, signs, house numbers, uniforms, and business names.

Should I post vacation photographs while traveling?

Consider waiting until you return home.

Real-time posts can reveal that your home is empty, where you are staying, or how relatives might be contacted with a believable emergency scam.

Is it safe to check in at a restaurant or event?

A check-in reveals your current or recent location.

Consider whether the audience needs that information and whether posting after leaving would meet the same purpose.

Should I ask before posting someone else’s photo?

Yes.

People may have different privacy, safety, employment, family, or personal reasons for not wanting a photograph shared or tagged.

Can I post photos of my grandchildren?

Ask the parents and, when appropriate, the child.

Avoid sharing the child’s full name, school, schedule, location, medical information, private behavior, or embarrassing moments.

What is sharenting?

Sharenting refers to parents or caregivers sharing information and photographs about children online.

The practice can support family connection, but adults should consider the child’s privacy, consent, safety, and future preferences.

Can a deleted post still exist?

Yes.

Another person may have saved, screenshotted, copied, or reshared it before deletion.

Are disappearing stories private?

No.

They disappear from the normal view after a period, but viewers may still capture or save them.

Can social media information help scammers?

Yes.

Names, relationships, travel details, workplaces, schools, pets, and personal interests can make phishing and impersonation attempts sound more believable.

How often should I review privacy settings?

Review them periodically and after major app updates, new features, or changes in how you use the account.

Also review old posts, location permissions, tagging, connected apps, and profile details.

What should I do if someone posts a photo of me without permission?

Ask the person to remove it, remove any tag, and use the platform’s privacy or reporting tools when appropriate.

Serious situations involving harassment, threats, intimate images, stalking, or child safety may require additional professional or law-enforcement help.

What should I do if I accidentally posted private information?

Delete or restrict the post, remove tags or location data, and address the information that was exposed.

That may include changing a password, contacting a financial institution, replacing a document, or watching for suspicious activity.

Sources and Further Reading

The following resources provide additional information about social media sharing, personal information, travel posts, photograph locations, family consent, privacy settings, and online safety. External links open in a new tab.

• FTC sharing and privacy guidance
• FTC app privacy guidance
• FTC online privacy resources
• CISA data privacy guidance
• FBI personal information warning
• FBI travel posting guidance
• FBI photo metadata guidance
• FBI social media quiz warning
• University digital consent guidance
• University social media privacy tips
• Facebook Privacy Checkup
• Facebook audience controls
• Google photo location controls

 

Want a Clearer Way to Understand Social Media?

A Modern Boomer Guide to Understanding Social Media Today is a 52-page full-color visual PDF guide created for older adults, families, and anyone who wants to feel more confident using modern social platforms without feeling overwhelmed or talked down to.

It explains feeds, algorithms, likes, comments, sharing, privacy, profiles, groups, notifications, advertisements, recommendations, online behavior, and everyday social media habits in clear, respectful language.