Being tagged in photos on social media can be a fun way to share memories and experiences with friends and family. However, sometimes photos may be tagged that you aren’t comfortable with or don’t want to be associated with. Most social media platforms allow you to approve or reject tags before photos appear on your profile.
Check Notification Settings
The first thing to do is check your notification settings on each social media platform. You can choose settings that require you to approve tags before they go live. This gives you a chance to review photos and decide if you want to approve the tag or not.
On Facebook, go to Settings > Notifications and set “Tags” to Only Me or Friends Except Acquaintances. This means you’ll be notified of any tags so you can review them.
On Instagram, go to Settings > Privacy > Posts and set “Allow Tags From” to Followers You Follow Back. You’ll need to approve tags from anyone else before they appear on your profile.
On Twitter, go to Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Safety and disable Photo Tagging. This prevents anyone from tagging you in photos without your approval.
Check Your Tagged Photos
After adjusting your notification settings, be on the lookout for any notifications that you’ve been tagged. If you don’t see notifications, do a proactive check by visiting your tagged photos page.
On Facebook, click on your profile and choose Photos > Tagged. Review the photos and videos you’re tagged in.
On Instagram, go to your profile > 3 lines (top right) > Settings > Privacy > Photos of You. Approve or remove tags as desired.
On Twitter, go to your profile > Tweets & Replies tab. This shows any tweets and media in which you’re mentioned, including photo tags.
Approve or Ignore the Tag
Once you locate a tagged photo, you can take action on it. Typically you’ll have the option to Approve the tag, Ignore it, or report it if it violates any policies.
Approving the tag means it will now show up on your profile publicly. The photo will be visible to anyone who visits your page.
Ignoring the tag means it won’t appear on your profile at all. You can essentially hide a tag from your timeline so no one sees it.
Reporting a tag is appropriate if the photo is inappropriate, goes against platform policies, or was tagged without your consent. The platform may remove the photo if it finds the report valid.
Untag Yourself
If you don’t want to approve a tag but also don’t want to report the photo, you can simply untag yourself. This removes the association between you and the photo without having the image deleted.
On Facebook, click on the photo while viewing tagged photos. Click “Options” below your name and select Untag.
On Instagram, tap on the photo, tap your tagged name, and select Remove Me from Photo.
On Twitter, tap the photo and then tap your tagged name and select Remove tag.
Adjust Tagging Permissions
Besides going through and approving/untagging photos, you can adjust your permissions for who can tag you going forward.
On Facebook, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Timeline and Tagging and adjust who can tag or add you to posts.
On Instagram, go to Settings > Privacy > Posts and choose whether to allow tagging from Everyone, Only People You Follow, or No One.
On Twitter, go to Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Safety > Photo tagging and opt to disable tagging permissions.
Have a Conversation
If a particular friend keeps tagging you in inappropriate photos, have a personal conversation asking them to stop. Explain that you don’t feel comfortable being tagged in certain photos or would prefer they check with you first going forward.
You can also send them a quick message when they tag you in something, politely asking them to remove you from the photo.
In most cases, a quick personal message should stop unwanted tagging behavior if it’s from people you know in real life.
Block Someone
If someone persists with tagging you after you’ve untagged or asked them to stop, consider blocking them. This prevents them from being able to tag you in any future posts.
On Facebook, go to their profile and select Block. Confirm by selecting Block [Name].
On Instagram, go to their profile and tap the 3 dots (iOS) or 3 lines (Android) then select Block.
On Twitter, go to their profile, click the 3 dots, and choose Block.
Blocking should only be used as a last resort for people who continually ignore your requests not to tag you.
Make Your Profile Private
On Instagram and Twitter, a simple solution is to make your profile private. That way, only approved followers can see your photos or tag you in posts.
On Instagram, go to Settings > Privacy > Account Privacy and switch to a Private Account. Approve/deny follow requests as you see fit.
On Twitter, go to Settings and Privacy > Privacy and Safety > Protect your Tweets and toggle this on. Lock down your tweets and tags to approved followers only.
Delete the Photo
If the photo was posted on your own account, you have the right to delete it. This completely removes the image from the platform so it cannot continue to be seen or shared.
On Facebook, click on the photo and select Options > Delete Photo.
On Instagram, tap the photo and choose Delete from the bottom. Confirm by selecting Delete again.
On Twitter, tap the photo and then choose Delete from the options at the bottom.
Report the Photo
If the photo was posted by someone else and violates community guidelines, you can report it to the platform so they will remove it.
On Facebook, click the 3 dots above the photo and choose Report Post or Report Photo. Select Nudity or Sexual Activity as the issue.
On Instagram, tap the 3 dots above the photo and tap Report. Choose Nudity or Pornography as the reason.
On Twitter, tap the 3 dots and choose Report Tweet. Select It’s Abusive or Harmful then select the boxes that apply.
Remove Tag When Reposted
If someone else reposts a photo you’re already tagged in, you’ll be re-tagged automatically in many cases. You can remove yourself when this happens.
When you get notified of being tagged in the reposted photo, simply Untag yourself using the steps outlined earlier.
You can also let the person know you don’t want your tag to carry over if they repost something you’re already tagged in.
Prevent Search Engines from Indexing
If you don’t want tagged photos of you to appear in public search engines like Google, most platforms have settings to prevent indexing.
On Facebook, go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Public Posts and set Who can see posts you’re tagged in on your Timeline? to Friends.
On Instagram, make your account Private as outlined earlier so your photos don’t show up in searches.
On Twitter, go to Settings and Privacy > Discoverability and Contacts > Photo tagging and opt out of allowing Twitter to let others tag you in photos.
Use Facial Recognition Settings
Facebook and other apps like Google Photos use facial recognition to automatically detect your face and tag you. Adjust these settings for more control.
On Facebook, go to Settings & Privacy > Face Recognition and choose whether or not to allow Facebook to use your face data.
On your Phone, adjust photo app permissions so they don’t have access to your camera roll to scan faces.
Disable the facial recognition setting in apps like Google Photos if you don’t want auto-tagging.
Check Your Photo Sharing Apps
Besides social media, also check apps designed for sharing photos and videos with friends and family. You may get tagged in unflattering photos in apps like Google Photos or Apple iCloud.
Open the apps and look for any “Shared With Me” sections or the like. Browse to see if any embarrassing photos show up that you want untagged from.
Adjust app settings to disable tagging or require tag approval if possible. Or request your friends reframe from tagging you in that app going forward.
Conclusion
Having control over tags associated with your name and face is important. Follow these steps to manage photo tagging on social media and other photo apps.
Enable tag approval notifications, regularly check your tagged photos page, untag yourself or delete photos, and limit who can tag you. With the proper settings and conversations, you can maintain the tagged photos you are comfortable with.