With the increasing use of the Internet and social media, the risk of privacy compromise also increases as our online activity can reveal more than we would like.

Instagram is one of the popular social media platforms used by billions of people to express themselves through photos and videos.

To keep our accounts safe and privacy intact, there are several options that can help make Instagram a more private space.

If you want to protect your privacy, here are seven tips to make your Instagram account more secure.

1. Set your Instagram account to “Private”

One of the easiest ways to make your social life more private on Instagram is to change your account visibility to “Private”. Not only does this prevent strangers from seeing your posts, it also gives users the option to share content with people they approve.

You can do this by opening the Instagram app on your phone and going to settings.

Tap on “Account Privacy” under the “Who can see your content” section and turn on the switch called “Private Account”.

2. Log out of your Facebook account

Instagram has a handy feature that allows users to automatically share content they post on the platform to Facebook. While this can sometimes be useful, for many, this can cause problems because the people we follow on these platforms might be different.

If you want to disconnect your Facebook account from your Instagram profile, go to the app’s settings, tap the top option called “Account Center”, scroll down a bit and click on “Accounts”. Now, press the “Remove” button to the right of your Facebook account and you’re good to go.

3. Create a list of “Close Friends”.

Want to keep certain posts and stories from random strangers or specific people on Instagram? Consider setting up a “Close Friends” list, which allows you to share content with a select group.

To create one, go to the app’s settings, scroll down to the “Close Friends” option, and add the friends you want to include.

The next time you post or share a story, Instagram will ask you to choose whether to share it with all your followers or just your close friends.

4. Block certain people from seeing your story and going live

Instagram can be a toxic space at times, and if you want to hide your stories or live streams from certain people, you can easily do so.

Go to the app settings, find the “Who can see your content” section and select “Hide story and live”. From there, you can add specific people to your list.

5. Hide activity status

Instagram has a “Last Seen” feature similar to WhatsApp that allows others to see when you were last active.

If you want to turn this off, open the app’s settings, go to “Messages and replies to stories” and turn off the “Show activity status” switch.

6. Disable read receipts

Instagram notifies users when their messages are read by marking them as “Seen”, just like the blue marks on WhatsApp. To disable this feature, navigate to the app’s settings, go to “Messages and replies to stories”, tap “Show read receipts” and turn off the switch.

7. Limit interactions from certain people

If someone is bothering you on Instagram, you can temporarily limit their ability to interact with you through messages and comments. This setting will restrict most interactions, such as mentions and replies to stories, but you can still allow messages from those on your close friends list.

To set this up, find “Limit interactions” under “How others can interact with you.” and adjust the switch as needed. Instagram will also remind you to turn off this feature at your preferred time.