Want to see what your kids have been “liking” on Instagram? Here’s a quick step-by-step that I use to monitor my kiddos Instagram usage. Is it foolproof? Of course not, but it definitely gives me insight into what they are looking at on IG. I do require them to be private users, and I follow everyone that they follow, but you can also search IG and like photos without following the user.
So, here is how we do it:
Here’s a screen shot of my Instagram account. ON YOUR CHILD’S DEVICE you need to open the profile page by tapping on the “person” icon, circled in red.
Next you need to click on the menu icon, also circled in red.
Finally click on the item, “Posts You’ve Liked,” which will result in a screen like this:
Regardless of whether or not the user is “following” another user, they can still like their pictures. How is that possible? Because you can search Instagram using key words or hash tags (#youknowlikethis).
I started checking my kiddos IG accounts after seeing some questionable activity from some users they were following. Because here is the kicker, on Instagram if you click on the little comment bubble with a heart in the middle, and choose the “following” tab, you can see what everyone you follow has “liked.”
So, even though we have restrictions on searches and who the kiddos follow, they were still seeing some inappropriate stuff.
Again, I know this isn’t a foolproof method, I don’t think anything is when it comes to technology, but it has been a help for our family, and I thought it might be a help for your family as well.
How do you monitor social media in your home?