Monthly social media safety checklist

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Author: YELFiN Ltd · Published: 4 October 2026 · Editorial reviewer: YELFiN Ltd (review pending)

A monthly check is a useful habit, not a guarantee of safety. Repeat it when a new app is installed, settings change or a concern appears.

• List the social, messaging and gaming accounts in use.
• Check who can see the profile, posts and contact information.
• Review who can send messages, comment, tag or add the account to groups.
• Review location sharing and remove unnecessary public personal details.
• Check followers and friend requests together.
• Find the platform’s blocking, reporting and family-supervision tools.
• Talk about uncomfortable contact, pressure, upsetting content and wellbeing.
• Agree one practical change and a date to check again.

Use each service’s current safety hub; tools and defaults differ. Avoid assuming a private account prevents screenshots or onward sharing.

Ask what has been enjoyable as well as what has been difficult. Make it clear that asking for help will not automatically result in punishment. A child may need support beyond changing a setting.

If someone is in immediate danger in the UK, call 999. Report concerning content through the platform; child sexual abuse or grooming concerns need police or CEOP routes.

YELFiN includes an eight-item Social Media Audit checklist. It helps structure your review; it does not inspect accounts or change settings automatically.

Ask about unwanted contact, pressure to share, upsetting posts and conversations that make the child uncomfortable. Focus on what happened and how they feel. An unfamiliar app name or private account alone does not explain a concern.

1. Write the date and the accounts you reviewed together.
2. Record one agreed change and why it matters.
3. Note any question you could not answer and the official safety hub you will check.
4. Agree who the child can speak to when you are unavailable.
5. Set the next review date. Ask about positive experiences as well as difficulties.

Keep the log simple: it should help a conversation, rather than become a dossier of the child’s social life. Review new features when they appear instead of assuming last month’s settings still cover them.

Do not ask a child to defeat a service’s age checks or share account credentials as part of the review. Avoid treating follower counts, time totals or one setting as a complete assessment. A private profile does not control what other people do with content they can see.

Start with the YELFiN Platform Library, then use the service’s official settings guidance. YELFiN’s Social Media Audit provides a repeatable structure; the changes happen in the service itself.

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Explore YELFiN’s platform guides, checklists and learning tools. No YELFiN account required. General educational information; not professional or emergency advice.

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