5 Things Seniors Should Do to Protect Privacy on Social Media

For older adults, the appeal of social media is real — and so are the privacy risks

Facebook may have started on a college campus, but today users in one of the fastest-growing demographics are more likely to be found enjoying retirement. A Pew Research survey found that as of 2021,75 percent of Americans over 65 are Internet users, and nearly half of seniors use social networking sites — a 4x increase over the past decade.

Sites like Facebook are great for keeping up with friends and family, and research also shows that seniors who spend time online experience improved brain function and lower risks of developing depression and dementia. However, social media also presents some extra risks for older people, so it’s important for seniors to get savvy about social media dangers and focus on fraud protection​.

Online scammers see seniors as targets

Ninety-two percent of senior adults believe they are at risk on social media — and their fears are founded. According to a True Link Financial study, seniors lose almost $13 billion each year due to financial scams, many of them online. The problem is so severe that almost a million seniors each year are left in financial hardship.

Seniors are at greater social media risk because they are targeted by identity thieves, scammers, and potential abusers. Criminals know that older people tend to be more polite and trusting, so they’re more likely to be swindled by an urgent-sounding message or a seemingly friendly contact.

5 strategies you can use to protect privacy on social media:

1) Use strong privacy settings

Apps and phone manufacturers are finally giving users more control over their privacy. Take time to review your app and device settings and configure the privacy controls. We recommend using strong privacy settings to keep your information from being seen by strangers. Here are a few tutorials that will help:

• How to manage your privacy on Instagram

• Keeping your privacy on Facebook

• Use a strong password (IDX Members can rely on our Password Manager to easily create and use strong passwords)

2) Choose your friends carefully.

Only accept friend requests from people you know in real life. It’s not impolite to decline or ignore a friend request on social media. (Also, don’t be hurt if a teenage grandchild doesn’t want to friend you online. You didn’t want your grandma listening in on your phone calls when you were their age.)

3) Don’t overshare.

Be protective of your own privacy and that of your friends and family. Never share personal information like your address and birth date. Post vacation photos after the vacation, so you don’t advertise that your house is empty. And don’t post photos or facts that could be embarrassing to your relatives or friends, either. Social media posts live forever, and your grandson’s future employer doesn’t need to see a cute baby picture of him in the buff.

4) Think before you click.

Scams against seniors abound. We’ve all heard about romance scams preying on the lonely, so-called “grandparent scams” where someone claims to be a family member in trouble, health product scams for miracle cures, and more. If an unusual message or unexpected ad pops up on your social media account, think before you click on it. If in doubt, get it checked from a trusted friend or family member. (IDX Members can call or email our ID Care team to get an expert opinion in real time from our U.S.-based team!)

5) Report abuse

Cyber-bullying happens against elders as well as kids. If someone is harassing or threatening you online, block that person on social media and report it to a friend or family member as well as law enforcement.

​No matter your generation, we all grew up with the warning “Don’t talk to strangers.” It’s harder to tell who’s a stranger on social media, but the same rule applies. Social media safety is mostly common sense, and with all their life experience, most seniors can claim a wealth of that!

Ultimate privacy protection for senior social media users

​As social media has become a bigger and bigger part of our lives, new privacy and fraud threats continue to emerge. We developed SocialSentry to address these threats, for social media users who want to protect themselves from social media frauds and scams, account takeover, impersonation, and inappropriate content.

SocialSentry actively scans social networks to detect privacy risks and fraudulent activity, leverages machine learning to identify inappropriate content associated with your online profile, and empowers members to take immediate action from one easy-to-use dashboard.

Get protected today, or learn more about our consumer privacy protection.