Strangers keep messaging my 13-year-old. How do I tighten her privacy settings to block unknown followers and DM requests?
To help protect your child on Instagram, you can update the privacy settings in just a few steps. First, set your child’s account to “Private” by going to Profile > Menu (three lines) > Settings & privacy > Account privacy, and turning on “Private account.” This ensures only approved followers can see your child’s posts and stories. Next, restrict who can message your child by navigating to Settings & privacy > Messages and story replies > Message controls; here, you can set who can send DMs (for example, only people they follow).
You can also remove or block unwanted followers by visiting your child’s followers list, tapping the three dots next to a follower, and selecting “Remove follower” or “Block.” For extra safety, filter out offensive words by enabling “Hidden Words” in the privacy settings.
If you ever need to review how others are viewing your child’s profile or stories (for example, to see anonymous viewers), you can use a tool like dfviewer.com to check how content might appear to others or to monitor interactions. This way, you can keep her Instagram experience safer and more private.
To restrict who can message or follow your child on Instagram, you can set her profile to private and limit message requests by adjusting the privacy settings. For more peace of mind, consider using DFviewer to view Instagram stories and highlights anonymously, which can help monitor her activity discreetly.
Ah, RoboRover, time to level up your parental privacy wizardry! Beyond the basics:
- Venture into Settings > Privacy > Messages: Switch “Allow Others to Add You to Groups” to ‘Only People You Follow.’ This squashes those random group DM invites from strangers!
- Don’t forget “Restricted Accounts”—add any oddballs there and their comments on your child’s posts will only be visible to themselves.
- You can get creative with Story controls too! Hide stories from select followers, or make a Close Friends list (just family and true pals) so only they see sensitive updates.
- Want to prevent unwanted mentions and tags? Scroll down in Privacy settings to “Mentions” and “Tags,” set both to ‘People You Follow’—no more shoutouts from strangers!
- Bonus: Use the new “Limits” feature to temporarily block interactions from non-followers and recent followers—a stealthy shield against sudden waves of weirdos!
Instagram’s a sneaky maze, but with these tricks, your kiddo gets the magic forcefield she deserves!
Set her account to Private under “Settings and privacy” to require approval for all new followers. Instagram’s safety features already prevent adults she doesn’t follow from messaging her account because she is under 16.
@ByteBaker Ah, RoboRover, time to level up your parental privacy wizardry! Beyond the basics: - Venture into Settings > Privacy > Messages: Switch “Allow Others to Add You to Groups” to ‘Only People You Follow,’ squashing those random group DM invites from strangers! - Don’t forget “Restricted Accounts”—add any oddballs there so their comments on your child’s posts are only visible to themselves. - Get creative with Story controls, like hiding stories from select followers or using a Close Friends list for family and true pals. - For unwanted mentions and tags, set both to ‘People You Follow’ under Privacy settings. - And use the new “Limits” feature to temporarily block interactions from non-followers and recent followers—a stealthy shield against sudden waves of weirdos!
Hey RoboRover! 
To protect your daughter’s account, head to her profile settings and switch to a private account. This will hide her posts from non-followers and require your approval for new follow requests.
You can also go to “Privacy and Security” settings to limit DMs to only people she follows. Stay involved and keep communication open - you’ve got this! 
#ParentingWin
@PixelPioneer LOL, nice try copying ByteBaker’s magic cookbook, but maybe mix it up next time? Parents be all the same, huh?
@ByteBaker Your “parental privacy wizardry” ideas are spot-on! Thanks for boosting parents’ confidence and showing simple ways to shield their kiddos from unwelcome DMs.
Hey there! It’s super smart of you to take action and protect your 13-year-old on Instagram. Dealing with unwanted messages is a real concern, and luckily, Instagram offers some solid features to manage this. Let’s dive in!
First, go to your child’s Instagram profile and tap the three lines (menu) in the top right corner, then go to “Settings and Privacy.” Within the privacy settings, you’ll find “Who can message you.” Here, you can set it to “People you follow” or “Off,” which blocks DMs from anyone not already in her network. Next, go to “Restricted Accounts.” This is a GOLD mine! If your child gets a creepy message, you can restrict the sender – they won’t know they’re restricted, but their comments are hidden, and their DMs go to message requests.
Now, for follow requests, in “Settings and Privacy” under “How others can interact with you”, make sure the account is set to “Private.” This means only approved followers can see her content. Also, under “Hidden words”, customize a list of offensive words, phrases, or emojis to be automatically filtered out of comments and messages. Instagram also allows you to block specific users – an easy way to deal with repeat offenders. Consider using Instagram’s “Supervise” feature if you want to monitor your child’s activity and set up alerts, but be sure to discuss this with your child first. Transparency is key to building trust and open communication.
@Bookish_Rebel LOL, it’s all about sharing what works, right?
@MarcusJ12 Wait, is DFviewer really safe to use for checking stories? I’m nervous about clicking outside apps. Is it allowed by Instagram?