Facebook Safety Settings: A Comprehensive Guide for Parents

Welcome to Children of the Digital Age’s essential guide to Facebook Safety Settings. Facebook remains one of the world’s largest social media platforms, with millions of users globally, including many teens in Ireland.

While Facebook (now Meta) has introduced some teen-specific protections, it’s crucial for parents to understand that no child under the age of 13 should create their own Facebook account, as per Facebook’s own terms of service. For teens aged 13 and above who create an account, active parental involvement in managing General Account Settings is essential. This ensures profiles are as protected as possible.

Parents should have clear and open access to their children’s accounts. This often involves sharing login credentials and installing the Facebook application on their own device. Consequently, this enables a parent to see in real-time what content a child consumes, the contacts they interact with, friend requests, and messages sent and received. This direct oversight is invaluable in safeguarding your child’s online experience.

Understanding Data Privacy on Facebook

Parents need to be aware of the personal data Facebook collects and its potential for future harm. Society is still grappling with the negative implications surrounding personal data harvesting, its sale to third parties, and its subsequent use. Furthermore, this data can be used for targeted advertising, but also for more malicious purposes like social engineering or identity theft.

Therefore, before downloading any application, always take a moment to read its terms and conditions. Understanding how your child’s data is collected and used is a fundamental step in ensuring their online safety.

Age Recommendation

Age Rating: PG Parental Guidance
Recommendation: Children under 13 years should not use Facebook.

Key Restrictions and Facebook Safety Settings Available

Facebook’s privacy and security settings offer various ways to control your child’s experience. These include managing:

Ad Preferences
Exposure to Inappropriate Content
Online Chat Interactions
Overall Profile Privacy
Limitations on Social Network Posts and Contacts
Prevention of Identity Theft

Setting Up Privacy and Security Settings on Facebook

Securing a Facebook account for a child or teen requires a thorough review of its privacy and security settings. Typically, these steps remain consistent across both desktop and mobile versions of Facebook.

Step-by-Step Guide to Privacy Settings

Follow these steps to access and configure essential privacy settings:

Log In to Facebook: Access the Facebook account using the registered email address and password.

Navigate to Settings: Select the three horizontal lines (or your profile picture/downward arrow on desktop) usually located on the top right-hand side of the screen.

Find Settings & Privacy: Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Select “Settings & Privacy,” then choose “Settings.”

Access Privacy Shortcuts: Now, select the “Privacy Shortcuts” option.

Review Important Privacy Settings: A menu will appear with a variety of settings. It is important to take your time to go through each individual section to secure the account. For a quick start, however, select “Review a few important privacy settings.”

Restricting Access to Personal Information

The “Who can see what you share” section is vital. This menu allows you to restrict access to personal information, posts, and stories. In addition, you have an option to block specific Facebook accounts.

Select “Who can see what you share”: This section opens first.

Continue: Select “Continue” on the page that opens.

Limit Personal Information: We strongly advise that no personal information should be accessible to anyone on this platform. People often overshare, which could lead to social engineering attacks or identity theft. Therefore, by setting all options to “Only Me,” no personal information will be available to other platform users.

Complete Section: Once finished, select “Next.”

Managing Posts and Stories

Careful management of what your child or teen posts and shares is critical for their online reputation.

Select “Posts and Stories”: Return to the main “Review a few important privacy settings” menu and select this option.

Configure Future Posts: When it opens, select “Future Posts.” It is important to limit who can access this content. Countless individuals have harmed their online reputation by posting inappropriate content. Review this setting carefully with your child or teen. Discuss the implications for posting or sharing negative or harmful content.

Control Story Visibility: Return to the menu and select “Who can see your story.” Again, serious consideration is required regarding who will be able to access content shared on stories. The more restricted it is, the better. However, parents need to remember that other users may re-share content on the platform.

Limit Past Posts: If your child or teen has had an account and has been active for some time, there might be content that could reflect negatively on them. Selecting the “Limit” option restricts all previous posts to date regarding who can access them. Consequently, once this option is selected, a user will have to manually review any previously shared post to change its audience if they wish to make it available to users outside the newly set limit.

Reviewing How People Can Find and Contact Your Child

Controlling who can find and interact with your child’s profile is a critical security measure which can be addressed with Facebook Safety Settings.

Access “How people can find you on Facebook”: From the Privacy Shortcuts menu, select this section.

Friend Requests: Decide who can send friend requests. “Friends of Friends” is generally safer than “Everyone.”

Searchability: Configure who can look up your child’s profile using their email address or phone number. Setting this to “Friends” or “Only Me” is advisable.

Search Engines: You can also prevent search engines like Google from linking to your child’s profile in search results. Enable this option for greater privacy.

Setting Up Security Settings for Enhanced Protection

Beyond privacy, robust security settings protect the account from unauthorized access.

Essential Security Configurations

Log In and Navigate: Log in to Facebook. Select the three lines (or profile picture/downward arrow). Go to “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”

Access Password and Security: Look for the “Password and Security” option.

Manage Account: This menu allows you to update personal information, change your name, contact info, and manage identity confirmation.

Legacy Account & Deactivation: Review “Legacy Contact” settings (who can manage your account if it’s memorialized) and “Deactivation Settings.”

Change Your Password: Regularly changing passwords remains a fundamental security practice. Create a strong, unique password for Facebook.

Get Alerts About Unrecognized Logins: Activate this option. This notifies you immediately if someone other than you attempts to, or successfully, logs into the account from an unrecognized device or location.

Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): We strongly advise enabling Two-Factor Authentication to protect the account. While SMS is an option, we advise against using a mobile phone number as the second form of authentication due to potential SIM swap fraud. Instead, use an authentication app (like Google Authenticator or Authy). This provides a more secure layer of protection.

Managing Logged-In Devices with Facebook Safety Settings

Regularly check which devices are currently logged into the Facebook account. If you see any unrecognized devices, promptly remove them. You typically find this under the “Where you’re logged in” section within “Security and Login.”

Fine-Tuning Ad Preferences for Data Control

Facebook uses personal data to tailor advertisements. Managing ad preferences gives you more control over the data used for targeting.

Steps to Adjust Ad Preferences

Log In and Navigate: Log in to Facebook. Select the three lines (or profile picture/downward arrow). Go to “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”

Access Ad Preferences: Select “Ad Preferences.”

Review Categories: Carefully select the appropriate settings under each category:

- Learn about ads: Understand how ads work on Facebook.
- What data is used: See what data Facebook uses for ads.
- Your Controls: Manage your ad settings.
- Why you see a particular ad: Get insights into specific ad targeting.
- FAQ: Find answers to common questions.
- Advertisers: See which advertisers have uploaded lists with your information.
- Ad Topics: Adjust the types of ad topics you see.
- Ad Settings: Select this option to manage your ad settings further. Review options like “Categories used to reach you” and “Audience-based advertising.” Limiting these can reduce the amount of personal data used for ads.

Accessing Your Facebook Information

Facebook allows users to access and download their activity and information. This proves useful for auditing what data the platform holds.

How to Access and Download Your Data

Log In and Navigate: Log in to Facebook. Select the three lines (or profile picture/downward arrow). Go to “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”

Select Your Facebook Information: Now, select “Your Facebook Information.”

Access Your Information: Select “Access your information.” This provides a categorized overview of your activity across Facebook, including posts, photos, videos, comments, messages, groups, and more. Each setting should be reviewed individually to ensure appropriate settings for a young user.

Download Your Information: Scroll to the bottom of the “Your Facebook Information” screen. Select “Download Your Information.” On the screen that opens, you can select a “Date Range” if you’re looking for specific information. Otherwise, select “Create File” to download all content.

For Adult Users: Adult Facebook users should also take a moment to familiarise themselves with these settings to protect their own accounts.

Utilizing the Facebook Safety Centre for Parents

Facebook provides resources specifically for parents to help them navigate the platform safely.

How to Access Parental Resources

Log In and Navigate: Log in to Facebook. Select the three lines (or profile picture/downward arrow). Go to “Settings & Privacy,” then “Settings.”

Find Resources for Parents: Select the “Find resources for parents” option.

Explore Educational Content: This section offers a wide variety of educational content, including:
- Get to Know Facebook: Understand the platform’s features.
- Parenting Tips: General advice for online parenting.
- Expert Advice: Insights from safety experts.
- Our family of companies: Information about Meta’s other platforms (e.g., Instagram, Messenger).

Other Important Settings for Account Management using Facebook Safety Settings

While “Privacy Shortcuts” offers a streamlined approach, other important settings are found directly under the main “Settings” menu.

Key Settings to Review

General:
- Allows you to change the account holder’s contact information (email, phone).
- You can choose to direct notifications to your own inbox.
- It is possible to deactivate the account also under this heading.

Security and Login:
- Allows you to change the password for the account.
- We strongly advise you activate two-factor authentication with an authentication app.
- It is possible to see what devices are connected to the account. Check this regularly and deactivate any devices you don’t recognise.

Your Facebook Information:
- This is an important setting as it permits you to view and download all activity history on the account.
- It is also possible to delete the personal information gathered by Facebook.

Privacy:
- This setting determines whether the account profile is Public, Only Friends or Customized.
- Manage who can see the account activity.
- Manage who can send friend requests.
- Manage who can access personal information connected to the account.
- Manage who can make contact with the account holder.
- Manage whether the account profile will appear in search engine results.

Timeline and Tagging:
- Another important setting allows you to adjust whether others can tag the account holder in photos or posts of their own.
- This should always be restricted. Ensure posts are reviewed when the account holder is tagged before they appear on a timeline.

Blocking:
- Enable the account holder to block others from viewing their posts, sending messages, or event invites.
- It is also possible to block entire Facebook pages.

Face Recognition:
- This enables Facebook to recognize the user in photos and videos. We strongly advise disabling this feature for privacy.

Public Posts:
- Enables the user to regulate access to the users’ public posts, including who can Follow, Like, or Comment.

Controlling the News Feed and Content Verification with Facebook Safety Settings

Even with strict privacy settings, content can still appear in the news feed. Learning to manage the news feed and verify sources is crucial.

Managing News Feed Content

It is possible to review and block content on a post-by-post basis:

Open the Facebook App: Access the Facebook application.

Select Three-Dot Icon: On any post, select the three-dot icon in the top-right corner of the post.

Choose an Option: A drop-down menu provides four options:
- Hide the post from the Feed: This removes that specific post from your feed.
- Snooze the source for 30 days: This temporarily stops seeing posts from that page/person.
- Unfollow the source: This permanently stops seeing posts from that page/person without unfriending.
- Give feedback on the post: This allows you to report the post if it violates Facebook’s community standards.

Verifying Content Sources on Facebook Pages (Desktop)

Identifying the source of information is vital in combating misinformation.

Select Profile Name: On a PC, select the name of the profile that posted the content in the newsfeed.

More Information Icon: Under the post’s cover photo, select the “More information” icon in the bottom-right corner. Hover over it to see “Show more information about this link.” Select it.

“About This Website” Pop-up: An “About This Website” pop-up will appear. It provides basic information about the host. This includes a summary of what the profile host does, their time on Facebook, when the post was shared, and more.

If you do not trust the source after reviewing this information, use the tools outlined above to report, unfollow, or block them.

Reviewing Privacy Settings on a Smartphone

The process for reviewing privacy settings on a smartphone is very similar to the desktop version.

Smartphone Privacy Shortcut Access

Open the Facebook App: On your device, open the Facebook App.

Access Settings: Select the settings option (often a gear icon or three horizontal lines) near the profile owner’s name.

View Privacy Shortcuts: Scroll down to “View Privacy Shortcuts.” You will see a picture of a padlock next to it.

Key Smartphone Privacy Options

In this section, the following options are available:

Who can see what you share?: Review personal information (Email, Birthday, Relationship, Current City) and decide who should be able to access it. For young users, settings like “Only Me” are highly recommended for sensitive data.

Friends and Following: Manage who can see your child’s friends list and who they follow.

Future Posts & Limit Past Posts: Configure who can see new posts and apply restrictions to old posts.

Blocking: Manage the list of blocked accounts.

How to keep your account secure: Review password settings and enable notifications if the account is accessed from an unknown device or location.

How people can find you on Facebook: Control who can send friend requests and who can look up the account by name or email address.

Your Data Settings on Facebook: Review “Apps and websites from other companies you’ve used Facebook to log into” and remove any that are no longer used or trusted.

By taking your time and slowly going through each of these settings, you can enable a more private Facebook account. However, while these settings can prevent unsolicited contact with children, they may still encounter posts and content created by individuals who may be strangers if their “Friends of Friends” settings are too open, or if content is re-shared. Therefore, it is so important to regularly monitor their newsfeed, friends list, likes, shares, comments, and messages.

A Holistic Approach to Digital Safety

While Facebook Safety Settings are fundamental, they are just one part of a comprehensive strategy for digital safety in Ireland. Children engage with many devices and online platforms beyond Facebook. Ultimately, at Children of the Digital Age, our mission is to empower parents with the knowledge and tools to secure every digital touchpoint their children encounter.

Consider integrating these additional measures into your family’s holistic digital safety plan:

Open and Ongoing Communication: The most powerful tool in your online safety for kids toolkit is open, honest, and continuous dialogue. Regularly talk with your children about what they are seeing and doing on Facebook and other platforms. Encourage them to come to you if they encounter anything uncomfortable, confusing, or concerning.

Device-Level Controls: Utilize parental controls on smartphones, tablets, and computers (e.g., Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link). These tools can manage screen time, app usage, and content filtering across devices.

Internet Service Provider (ISP) Filters: Your home broadband router might offer content filtering at the network level.

This can block entire categories of websites (e.g., adult content) for all connected devices.

Educational Resources: Regularly visit reputable online safety organizations for updated information and advice.

Partner with Children of the Digital Age for Enhanced Online Safety

At Children of the Digital Age, we are deeply committed to supporting parents. We help them navigate the ever-evolving landscape of digital parenting. While Facebook Safety Settings are a crucial step for social media, we strongly encourage you to explore our wider array of comprehensive resources. These resources are dedicated to online safety for kids across all devices and platforms.

If you require specific technical assistance with your Facebook account, Facebook’s Help Centre is a good first stop. However, for broader educational resources, workshops, or personalised advice on fostering a secure and positive digital experience for your family, do not hesitate to contact Children of the Digital Age. We are here to offer expert guidance. We ensure your children enjoy the digital world safely and responsibly. Your child’s digital wellbeing and online safety remain our utmost priority.

Children of the Digital Age