Topics · Feature
Privacy settings
Contents
Privacy settings on Instagram are controls for choosing who can see your content and activity, contact you, or access information you share with other services123. They include private accounts with follower approval, comment and activity-status controls1, Close Friends audiences4, optional location sharing with selected people5, messaging permissions3, and controls for personal details, ad preferences, account information and third-party access267. Teen Accounts are private by default, require parental permission for under-16s to switch to public, and have stricter messaging defaults for under-18s89. For creators seeking to reach non-followers, Instagram for Creators said in August 2022 that Instagram recommends content only from public accounts10. Adam Mosseri clarified in August 2026 that creators can hide Stories from selected followers, but cannot exclude someone from regular posts while that person remains a follower11.
Account visibility and follower access
Instagram’s account privacy setting lets you require approval before someone can follow you1. You can also remove existing followers at any time, a control described by both Instagram and Mosseri112. For a photo or video you no longer want anyone else to see, Instagram offers deletion or archiving1.
Selective sharing of content and location
Instagram lets you hide Stories from selected people without blocking them from the rest of your posts113. Mosseri explained in August 2026 that there is no equivalent exclusion for regular posts while someone remains a follower11. Hiding a Story also prevents the excluded person from seeing it if you later save it as a Highlight14. Close Friends provides another limited audience: Mosseri says the list can be edited at any time, other people cannot inspect its membership, and recipients can recognize content shared specifically with Close Friends4. For location sharing on the map, Mosseri said sharing starts completely off and can be enabled for a custom list, Close Friends, or followers you follow back5. A location tagged in a Story can appear on the map for 24 hours for your followers, but it shows the tagged place rather than your live location5.
Contact permissions, activity visibility and content reuse
Instagram’s messaging privacy controls let you decide who can message you and who can add you to groups, as Mosseri explained in May 20213. Instagram also provides controls over who can comment on posts and whether people can see when you are online through Show Activity Status1. Mosseri said in April 2026 that read receipts—the indication that you have read a message—can be turned off for an individual conversation or overall15. Restrict offers another protection for comments: a restricted person’s comment appears to them, but other people cannot see it unless you approve it12. The privacy permissions covered by Instagram’s guided checkup include messaging and Reels remix settings16.
Account information and connected services
Instagram users can manage privacy-related settings for personal details, passwords and security, and ad preferences in Meta’s Accounts Center, a shared settings area for Meta’s apps, according to Meta’s Newsroom7. Meta’s Newsroom says Access Your Information and Download Your Information are also centralized there, with the option to download Facebook and Instagram information together or separately6. Activity Off-Meta Technologies manages how information sent by other businesses is connected to Facebook and Instagram accounts, while Transfer Your Information is also available for Instagram6. For third-party services, Instagram’s authorization screen lists the information being requested and lets you cancel or authorize access2.
How it has changed
- 2021
March
Meta’s Newsroom announced a signup step encouraging Instagram users under 18 to choose a private account, with a later reminder for those who did not17.
July
Mosseri announced that everyone under 16 joining Instagram would start with a private account by default18.
- 2024
January
Mosseri announced stricter messaging defaults for teens under 16, and under 18 in certain countries, plus a parental-supervision control requiring approval before an under-16 teen could make a default setting less strict19.
October
Instagram described stricter messaging defaults for Teen Accounts under 18 and announced restrictions making it harder for accounts showing potentially scam-related behavior to request to follow teens9.
- 2025
October
Mosseri described Teen Accounts as private by default, with parental permission required for someone under 16 to switch to public8.
What you can do
See also
References
- 1#SaferInternetDay
- 2Control the data you share with third Party Apps
- 3This week I thought I’d talk about some of the lesser known, but still great, features in DMs.
- 4One of my favorite features on Instagram is Close Friends.
- 5Quick Friend Map clarification: your location will only be shared *if* you decide to share it, and if you do, it can only shared with a limited group of people you choose.
- 6Making It Easier To Manage Your Information Across Meta’s Apps
- 7Centralizing Your Apps Settings in Accounts Center
- 8Worried about your teens on social media?
- 9Our New Education Campaign to Help Protect Teens from Sextortion Scams
- 10What Creators Need To Know About Instagram Recommendations
- 11AMA: Can I make it so that someone still follows me but can't see my stories or posts?
- 12A few solid features on Instagram that you might not even know exist.
- 13You can block people from your stories without blocking them from the rest of your posts.
- 14AMA: if I block someone from seeing my story and then I make that story a highlight, can that person see the highlight/story?
- 15Three solid messaging features on Instagram, check them out.
- 16Staying Safe and Secure on Instagram
- 17Continuing to Make Instagram Safer for the Youngest Members of Our Community
- 18As a dad to three, I know it’s important to create an Instagram experience for young people that’s safe and private but also fun.
- 19I talk to a lot of parents, and often hear concerns about who can message their teens.