Hiding the date you joined Facebook from your timeline is a common request for many users who want more control over their privacy on the platform. While Facebook doesn’t allow you to completely remove the join date from your profile, there are a few tricks you can use to make it less prominent.
Why Do You Want to Hide Your Facebook Join Date?
There are a few main reasons why someone may want to hide or obscure their Facebook join date:
- Privacy – Not wanting the exact date you joined available for all to see.
- Security – Obscuring details that could help hackers or those attempting to steal your identity.
- Vanity – Not wanting people to know how long you’ve been on Facebook if your profile makes you appear younger.
- Embarrassment – Joining Facebook when it first launched in the 2000s as a college student but not wanting to show your age now.
While Facebook recommends being authentic with information on your profile, the platform does allow for some modification of how join dates are displayed.
Option 1: Remove the Join Date from Your Public Profile
The easiest way to hide your Facebook join date is to simply remove it from being displayed on your public profile. Here’s how:
- Go to your profile page and click on the “About” section.
- Find the section that says “Joined Facebook on [date]”. Click on the edit icon next to that section.
- Delete the text that shows the join date.
- Click “Save Changes”.
This will remove the join date from your public profile that other people see. However, it will still show up in places that you view your own profile.
Option 2: Restrict Old Posts By Date
Another option is to restrict the visibility of your older Facebook posts using date filters. Here are the steps:
- Go to your profile and click on “View As” in the top right.
- In the dropdown menu, click “Timeline review”.
- Facebook will scan your timeline as if you’re not logged in. Click “Limit Past Posts” on the right sidebar.
- Choose a date cutoff after which old posts will be visible only to you. Make it a date after you joined Facebook.
- Click “Confirm” to apply the date limit.
Now only posts after your selected cutoff date will show on your timeline. This helps conceal your true join date even if you leave it public.
Option 3: Adjust the Date with a Third-Party App
There are third-party Facebook apps that let you change details on your profile, including your join date. Two options are:
- Social Fixer – Browser extension for Chrome and Firefox that lets you change join dates.
- Touch – Facebook app you add under profile settings with the ability to modify your join date.
However, it’s important to note that this violates Facebook’s terms of service. Use apps to change your join date at your own risk!
Option 4: Create a New Facebook Account
The nuclear option is to create a brand new Facebook account. This will give you a new join date and blank timeline. You can gradually transition your friends list over and migrate data you want to keep.
Before deleting your old profile, be sure to download an archive with your photos, posts, and metadata.
The downside to starting a new profile is you will lose things like:
- Your follower/friend count
- Previous interactions and engagement on your posts
- Positive review counts and ratings for your business page
- Membership in longstanding groups and communities
Make sure to carefully weigh the pros and cons before creating a new account just to change your join date.
Other Ways to Minimize Your Join Date
If you don’t want to completely hide or change your Facebook join date, there are other subtle ways to de-emphasize it:
- Un-bold the “Joined” text so it blends in more on your intro section.
- Add other profile details like schools, work, contact info, etc. to push the join date further down your intro box.
- Add a profile photo, cover photo, or background color that distracts the eye from your join date.
The Tricky Ethics of Altering Your Join Date
While obscuring your Facebook join date is understandable from a privacy standpoint, altering this detail crosses an ethical line according to some experts. Issues to consider include:
- Authenticity – Presenting an inaccurate join date is inherently misleading.
- Dishonesty – Faking details on social media profiles could become a harmful habit that hurts your reputation if discovered.
- Vanity – Changing information purely to appear younger or “cooler” promotes unhealthy social media behavior.
- Terms of Service – Violating platform rules, even if not caught, reflects poor integrity.
Then again, online safety experts argue that some fabrication is defensible if it protects your privacy and security. Where you draw the ethical line is a personal decision.
Weighing Privacy vs. Authenticity
Ultimately, the choice between privacy and authenticity comes down to your priorities:
| Prioritizing Privacy | Prioritizing Authenticity |
|---|---|
| – Remove join date from public profile | – Leave join date public as is |
| – Restrict timeline posts before join date | – Don’t try to cover up when you joined |
| – Use apps sparingly to alter date | – Refuse to misrepresent info on social media |
| – Create new account if needed for privacy | – Focus privacy efforts elsewhere like security settings |
There are reasonable arguments on both sides. As with most social media choices, being thoughtful about your motivations is more important than the specific action you take.
The Bottom Line
While you have options to hide or downplay your Facebook join date, be careful not to compromise your ethics or violate platform policies in the process. Weigh the risks and make an informed decision that reflects your priorities. With the right approach, you can find a middle ground between maintaining your privacy and presenting an authentic profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it a good idea to hide my Facebook join date?
It depends. Hiding your join date can increase privacy and security, but also risks being dishonest on your profile. Consider your motivations and whether other privacy settings would serve you better.
Can I change my birthdate instead of my join date?
No, Facebook requires users to provide their real authenticated birthdate. Changing this is against policy and your account could get banned if found out.
What if I joined Facebook when I was under 13 years old?
Facebook’s minimum age was and still is 13. If you joined younger than that, you could argue altering your join date now is more about correcting an old policy violation than hiding your age.
Can Facebook tell I changed my join date?
Yes, Facebook’s system likely records your actual join date even if you change or hide it. Using third-party apps to alter data is also detectable.
Will Facebook delete my account if I change my join date?
It’s unlikely, but violating Facebook’s terms of service technically can warrant account deletion. Typically they will just revert data changes if discovered.
Conclusion
Hiding your Facebook join date involves balancing personal priorities around privacy and authenticity. Take the ethical implications seriously before attempting changes that could undermine your reputation or violate platform policies. With enough creativity and precaution, you may find a solution that suits your needs without compromising your values.