How to Remove Harmful Social Media Content: A Guide for College-Bound Students
Have you checked for harmful social media content before applying to college? Most teens don’t think about their old posts until it’s too late to make a difference. A study shows that 28% of colleges look at student profiles online. When they find harmful social media content, it can hurt your chances. Let’s clean up your posts and help you get into your desired school.
Finding Problem Posts
First, you want to find out what colleges might learn about you online. You can start with the following two tasks to get things rolling:
Search Your Name
When you search your name online, you see what colleges find about you. Think of it like a test run of your college review. Each search type helps in different ways:
- Search your name with quote marks: Using quote marks helps you find posts about you and not someone with a similar name. This matters because colleges want to be sure they’re looking at the right person. Try searches like “John A. Smith” and “Johnny Smith” to catch everything.
- Look through the first five pages of results: Looking past the first page matters more than you might think. While most people stop at page one, college teams often dig deeper. They might find that blog comment you wrote years ago or an old team photo that needs updating.
- Check Google Images: Image searches function differently than text-based searches. They can find photos where your name appears in captions or on web pages near the picture. This helps you spot photos you didn’t know existed, like from school events or sports games.
Different search engines show different results. Google might miss something that Bing finds. News sites and school pages often show up in these searches, too. So you must look for your name in additional places, such as:
- School newspaper archives
- Local news coverage
- Sports team websites
- Club member lists
- Event photos
- Public records
Review Your Accounts
- Check Your Posts: Look through all your posts since 9th grade. You might find old posts that don’t match who you are now. You can download a copy of your complete history to conduct a deep dive and catch everything.
- Look at Photo Tags: Find every photo in which friends tagged you. Watch out for party shots or silly moments in group photos. Remove tags from photos that might cast a negative light on you.
- Read Old Comments: Find comments you wrote when topics got heated. Old replies might sound too harsh or angry now. Look for times when you should have stayed calmer.
- Check Your Groups: Look at all the groups you joined. Think about what each group posts and shares now. Some groups might have changed since you joined them.
- Review Your Likes: The posts you like share a story about you. Look at all the pages and posts you’ve liked–these show colleges what you care about.
- Fix Profile Pictures: Look at all your profile photos, even old ones. Check what’s in the background of each shot. You want to make sure each photo sends the right message.
- Review Your Network: Check who you’re connected with online. Consider hiding posts from people who could make inappropriate comments.
- Check Your Replies: See how you respond to big news or hot topics over the years. Quick comments from the past might need another look today. Remember, intelligent interactions show that you think carefully before posting.
- Find Old Accounts: Look for accounts you don’t use anymore. This is extremely important because these old profiles are prime places for harmful content to hide. Remember, just because you forgot about an account doesn’t mean colleges can’t find them.
Removing Risky Content You Posted
Different social platforms require different cleanup procedures:
- Use the activity log feature
- Remove problem posts and photos
- Unlike questionable content
- Leave improper groups
- Update privacy controls
- Save posts before removal
- Clear location tags
- Delete problem comments
- Review saved stories
- Check tagged photos
On X
- Search your old posts
- Remove improper posts
- Clear unfitting likes
- Leave problem lists
- Update profile content
Dealing with Others’ Posts
Sometimes, other people post things about you. You need to approach and handle these situations with extreme care. Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Ask Nicely: Send a friendly message to whoever posted about you. Explain that you’re preparing for college applications and must clean up your online presence. Most people will help if you ask politely.
- Save Everything: Take pictures of posts you want removed before asking anyone to delete them. Keep these screenshots on your computer. This gives you proof if you need help later.
- Follow Up Kindly: Wait a few days and send a gentle reminder if you don’t hear back. People often miss messages in their busy feeds. Thank them when they help you out.
- Use Report Tools: If someone doesn’t remove a harmful post, use the site’s report button. Pick the right reason and explain the problem clearly. Check back to see what happens.
- Get Extra Help: Talk to your parents or school counselor if you can’t get posts removed through normal steps. Sometimes, having an adult step in can make things move faster.
Setting Up Strong Profiles
Prevent future problems with these steps:
- Keep Names Simple: Use your real name on all school-related accounts. Skip nicknames or funny usernames. This helps colleges find and remember you when they search online.
- Pick Good Photos: Choose clear headshots where you look neat and friendly. Wear what you’d wear to meet a teacher. Make sure the background looks clean.
- Write Clear Bios: Tell people about your school interests and goals. Keep it short and skip slang. Share what you care about and what you want to study.
- Share Smart Content: Post about school projects, volunteer work, and team activities. Show colleges what you do outside class. Skip personal drama and party photos.
- Add Contact Info: Include an email made from your name, not a silly one. Make it easy for schools to reach you. Leave out your phone number and home address.
- Check Privacy: Set up strong passwords and turn on extra security. Control who sees your posts. Keep personal accounts separate from school ones.
Create and Share High-Quality (Golden) Content
It’s vital to share posts that improve your image–here are a few tips:
- Share Class Projects: Post about your best schoolwork and significant assignments. Show colleges you take learning seriously. This helps admission teams see you as a dedicated student.
- Show How You Lead: Share instances when you guided teams or ran events. Colleges want students who can take charge, and your leadership skills will strengthen your application.
- Display Your Service: Post about times you helped your community or others. Colleges value students who give back, and your volunteer work shows you care about making things better.
- Share Team Success: Show how you work with others on projects and group tasks. Colleges seek students who build good teams. Your group work proves you can help others succeed.
- Post About Growth: Share moments of adversity and how you grew. Colleges look for students who keep improving. Your progress shows you’re ready for college work.
- Show What You Love: Write about topics you study outside class and books that moved you. Colleges want eager learners. Your extra study shows you’re curious and driven.
Moving Forward
Want to know if your social media will help or hurt your college chances? These tips give you a good start, but most students need help catching everything.
Get peace of mind with a Digital Audit from Bright Future Branding. Our team will:
- Find what colleges see when they search for you
- Catch old posts you might have forgotten
- Point out any problems that need fixing
- Give you steps to clean up your profiles
- Show you how to build a better image online
Don’t let harmful posts hurt your college chances. Request your Digital Audit today and feel confident about your online presence.
Remember: Colleges check social media more than ever. Make sure yours stands out for the right reasons.
