075 - Strong Privacy Settings Reduce Harassment
“Limiting comments, filtering messages, and controlling who can tag or contact you can make online spaces safer and less stressful.”
The internet can be an incredible place to find your people, share your art, and connect with chosen family. For the 2SLGBTQI+ community, digital spaces offer a vital lifeline of support and celebration.
Unfortunately, putting yourself out there can sometimes attract unwanted attention from trolls, random critics, or people looking to cause harm. Dealing with mean-spirited comments or invasive direct messages can quickly turn a comforting online sanctuary into a major source of anxiety and exhaustion. It is completely valid to feel drained by this behavior, but you shouldn't have to delete your profiles or hide who you are just to protect your peace of mind. Instead of engaging with negativity, you can use built-in features to make your favorite platforms work for you.
Think of your social media profiles like your own living room—you have every right to decide who gets an invitation to speak. Tightening your account's administrative boundaries is a highly effective way to shut out the noise before it even reaches you.
You can create a much calmer digital space today by taking a few simple actions:
Filter out toxic language: Dive into your account settings (usually under "Privacy" or "Comments") and look for a feature called "Hidden Words" or "Manual Filter." You can type in specific slurs, offensive phrases, or topics you never want to see. The app will automatically hide those comments from your view.
Control who can tag you: Change your mention and tagging permissions to "People You Follow" or turn them off completely. This stops random accounts from dragging you into hostile public threads.
Restrict, don't just block: If blocking someone feels too confrontational, use the "Restrict" or "Mute" button. On platforms like Instagram, restricting a user means they can still comment on your posts, but their comments are only visible to them—leaving your page clean and conflict-free.
Drawing these clear digital lines ensures you remain entirely in control of your energy and your safety.
What Now
If you are facing targeted online harassment, hate speech, or invasive direct messages, take these immediate actions to protect your digital well-being and reclaim your space:
Activate Restrict and Mute Features: Use platform-specific safety tools to quietly filter out abuse without triggering a retaliatory response from perpetrators. Utilizing the "Restrict" or "Mute" function allows harassers to keep posting without their comments or direct messages being visible to you or your broader community.
Deploy Keyword and Slur Filters: Navigate to your account's privacy or comment settings to enable "Hidden Words" or manual comment filtering. Input specific slurs, recurring abusive phrases, or unwanted topics to ensure the platform automatically intercepts and hides toxic language before it drains your emotional energy.
Lock Down Mentions and Tagging Permissions: Restrict your interaction settings so that only "People You Follow" can tag you in photos, mention your handle, or drag you into hostile public threads. This cuts off an abuser's ability to weaponize your profile for algorithmic visibility.
Lean on Vetted Anti-Violence and Peer Support Resources: Reach out to specialized nonprofit organizations that understand the unique digital threats faced by the community. You can connect with the Anti-Violence Project for free, confidential support managing bias-motivated online abuse, or contact The Trevor Project if you are a young person needing a safe, 24/7 crisis counselor.
Consult Digital Self-Defense Toolkits: To build a more comprehensive, long-term security architecture against organized online hate, review free open-source resources. The Digital Defense Fund and the GLAAD Social Media Safety Program offer platform-by-platform playbooks designed to maximize your privacy settings and protect your chosen digital sanctuary.
Local Resources
Queer Youth Resource Center (QYRC) [https://www.qyrcvancouverwa.org/]
(360) 831-0745
Akin (Triple Point Youth Program) [https://ccwa.doh.wa.gov/search/1d737cef-9007-55fc-be9b-aeb294842eeb]
(360) 695-1325
YWCA Clark County [https://www.ywcaclarkcounty.org/]
(360) 695-0501
