Facebook is one of the world’s largest social media platforms. The platform is a social media giant, with over 2.93 billion active monthly users.
Facebook allows individuals to create profiles, upload photos and videos, connect with family and friends, and share content from elsewhere on the web.
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How Users Connect
Users are linked to other users and Facebook pages as a Fan, Follower, or a Friend. Users can like a page, normally a business or public figure, and become a Fan, to receive updates in their News Feed.
Users can choose to follow an individual, normally somebody famous, and receive updates from them. When a user knows another user, they will add them as a Friend. Once this Friend Request is accepted, these two users can communicate with one another and will be able to view each other’s posts on the platform.
Facebook Reaction Preferences
Facebook users can choose to hide the number of reactions and/or views their posts get, as well as the amount on other users’ posts. This feature was introduced in June 2021 to combat the pressure many social media users feel to get more likes, reactions, or shares on their posts.
When users choose to enable this feature, they will see the range of reactions used instead of the number. For example: a post might show a heart emoji, a smiley face emoji, and a thumbs up emoji, but it will not show the specific count of any of these reactions. Reaction counts will still appear on posts which are related to marketing.
Age Restrictions
Facebook rules (Terms and Conditions of Service) require users to be 13 or older to use the app, but it is possible to enter a fake date of birth to bypass the age requirement.
To try and increase safety settings for users under 16 (or 18 in some countries), they will now sign up with more private accounts by default, or be recommended to switch their account privacy if they are existing users.
Core Functions
Risks
- If a user’s profile is set to public, other users can view, comment, or share their posts or photographs.
- Although Facebook does employ moderators, there is a risk of exposure to harmful and upsetting content.
- Facebook is a well-known venue for cyberbullying and trolling, especially in the comment sections of posts.
- With any livestreaming, live content cannot be moderated and is often at the hands of the person broadcasting.
- Strangers may send friend requests based on similar interests or groups.
Safety Settings
- Ensure profile settings are all set to the highest levels of privacy.
- Users under 16 (or 18 in some countries) will be defaulted to more private accounts on sign up, or recommended to switch their account privacy if they are existing users.
- If someone is livestreaming, they are prompted to select an audience. It’s recommended to choose only friends and family.
- Use Facebook’s settings to ensure users can review tags in photos before they are public.
Top Tips
- Make use of Facebook’s reporting mechanisms on inappropriate material.
- Ensure a user’s cover photo and profile photo are appropriate as these will always be public.
- It can be tough to know if someone is who they say they are online, so here are some things to look out for:
- Low number of friends: The average Facebook user has 338 friends. If someone has a very low number of friends and they are not someone known in real life, like a friend or relative, they may not be who they say they are.
- No mutual friends: If someone's Facebook profile says they live in the same town as the user, but they don’t have any mutual friends (in common), they may not be who they say they are.
- One or Two mutual friends: A low number of friends can still be suspicious as friends may have accepted a friend request from someone they don't know. Ask those mutual friends who the requesting person is before accepting them.