[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/social-media\/how-to-permanently-delete-your-social-media\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/social-media\/how-to-permanently-delete-your-social-media\/","headline":"How to Permanently Delete Your Social Media Presence: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter","name":"How to Permanently Delete Your Social Media Presence: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter","description":"Want to delete your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram? Tech Loot guides you through everything you need to know.","datePublished":"2020-02-06","dateModified":"2020-07-21","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/author\/steph-cosway\/#Person","name":"Steph Freeman","url":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/author\/steph-cosway\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cf927015b0293820e569defb6d324995fc3bec16e727273bcd58f4a663a785a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cf927015b0293820e569defb6d324995fc3bec16e727273bcd58f4a663a785a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Tech Loot","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/techlootio.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/techloot-footer-logo.png","url":"https:\/\/techlootio.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/techloot-footer-logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/delete-social-media-presence.jpg","url":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/delete-social-media-presence.jpg","height":500,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/social-media\/how-to-permanently-delete-your-social-media\/","about":["Social Media"],"wordCount":1297,"keywords":["Facebook","Instagram","Twitter"],"articleBody":"On paper, social media seems marvellous, as it gives us all the opportunity to share photos, thoughts and even have conversations with total strangers. Indeed, these days many of us meet friends and even dates on social media.The problem is, social media is an incredibly public platform, which has brought up a lot of privacy issues. Including the idea that potential employers searching through our social media before considering a job offer. Plus, with the growth in social media, there has also been a correlating growth in online trolls, leading to online bullying and mental health issues associated with social platforms. An example of a mental health issue that can arise from social platforms is depression. You can learn more about depression and other mental health conditions here.So, whether you\u2019re concerned about your privacy, looking to improve your mental health or you just no longer want a presence on a certain platform \u2013 here\u2019s how you can delete your social media presence:How to delete a Facebook profileWhen it comes to your Facebook profile, you have two main options: deactivating or permanently deleting your account. Both of which come with their own set of advantages and disadvantages, depending on how certain you are about deleting your profile.Option 1: Deactivating FacebookFacebook keeps a record of every single thing you post or share online. If you decide just to deactivate your profile, these posts will not be deleted, however, your name and photo will be removed from that post. During this time, no one will be able to search and find your profile, unless you choose to reactivate your profile in the future.              How to:To deactivate your account, go to Settings > Your Facebook information > Deactivation and deletion. From there you can select to deactivate your account.It\u2019s important to note, that even when deactivated, your Facebook messages to other users may still be active. So, you may wish to deactivate Messenger separately too.Option 2: Deleting Facebook permanentlyIf you wish to stop using this social media platform entirely and stop Facebook from storing any data on you, then a permanent deletion is in order.              How to:To do this, again go to Settings > Your Facebook information > Deactivation and deletion and select the option to permanently delete your account.This process takes around 90 days to be entirely completed and, after that, your account will not be able to be restored. Nor will you be able to use Messenger, however, messages you have sent others will still be available in their inbox.How to delete your Twitter accountWhen it comes to deleting Twitter, you\u2019ll find that the process is incredibly simple.              How to:Head to Settings > Deactivate your account and, once you confirm a few details, you\u2019ll be able to deactivate your account. After 30 days, if you have not recovered your account, your profile and all your data will be deleted permanently.This 30-day grace period allows you to change your mind and is useful if your account has been wrongly deactivated. You will need to contact Twitter before the 30 days are up, though, otherwise your Tweets and activity will already be permanently deleted.How to delete your Instagram profileLike Facebook, Instagram gives you two options \u2013 deactivation and deletion. With deactivation, your profile and photographs will no longer be seen, however, Instagram will store all of your data, allowing you to fully restore your profile to how it was before. A permanent deletion means all of your data will be removed.Option 1: Deactivating Instagram              How to:To deactivate your Instagram account, you will need to login through a web browser. Here just go to profile and click Edit profile > temporarily disable my Instagram account, which will be an option at the bottom of the page. You will need to select a reason why you are disabling before you can complete the action.To reactivate your account, simply log back in. You may not be able to do this for several hours after you first deactivated your account.Option 2: Delete Instagram permanentlyIf you wish to delete your account permanently, you will need to go to the Delete Your Account page and follow the instructions. This will need to be completed on a web browser and cannot be done via the Instagram app. After clicking that delete button, you will not be able to recover your account \u2013 including photographs and followers.Alternatives to deleting your social media accountsOften, we can rashly believe that we want to totally remove all social media from our lives. A few months or years down the line, though, you might regret the lost memories or that you\u2019re no longer in touch with certain people you only talked to online.So, rather than deleting your profile straight away, here are some alternatives to try first:1. Have a social media detoxSometimes we all need a break from social media. As, regardless of whether you\u2019re feeling down or you\u2019re simply finding yourself procrastinating when you should be working or studying, sometimes you just need a little break.              Suggestion:One of the easiest ways to start a social media detox is by deleting the apps of your smartphone or tablet. That way, when you do reach for your phone when you should be doing something else, you won\u2019t have the temptation to start scrolling through posts and photographs.Of course, not all of us have the willpower to keep from downloading apps again. To combat this, ask a close friend or family member to change your password for you. That way you will be properly locked out until that chosen person can get you back in.2. Privatise your social mediaIf the thought of strangers looking through your tweets or your Instagram photos has started to make you uneasy, there is always the option to make your social media platforms private.Facebook \u2013 Make sure your privacy settings are set to only friends. To do this, simply go to Settings > privacy and from there you can change your settings to what you are comfortable with. You can even make it so you don\u2019t appear in searches.Instagram \u2013 By going to Edit profile, you can switch your account to a private account, where potential followers will need to request access to your account.Twitter \u2013 Similar to Instagram, by heading to Settings > Privacy and safety > Protect my tweets. After clicking this option, only your followers will be able to see your tweets. Keep in mind, though, if someone does not follow you, they will not be able to see your replies i.e. if you regularly reply to celebrities.3. Have a social media clear-outIf you are concerned about who is viewing your photos or messages, yet you\u2019re not looking to make your accounts private, there are still options, such as:Check your friend and follower lists. If there is anyone who you no longer want looking at your Facebook profile, simply delete them off your friend list. The same goes for followers, if there are any bots, trolls or anyone else you\u2019d like to remove from your life, simply block them.If you\u2019re worried about silly posts you made in the past, yet you don\u2019t wish to entirely delete a profile and start again, then it\u2019s worth spending an afternoon going through a profile and deleting anything old and irrelevant to yourself or brand at this point.Overall, whether or not you want to delete your social media presence is totally up to you. Just remember that once permanently deleted, accounts cannot be recovered, so make sure that you have everything saved that you might wish to see in the future."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Social Media","item":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/social-media\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Permanently Delete Your Social Media Presence: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter","item":"https:\/\/techloot.co.uk\/social-media\/how-to-permanently-delete-your-social-media\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]