Facebook Status Update Options Explained: Tags, Check-Ins, Feelings and Audience

The Facebook "What's on your mind?" box used to be just that: a box for a sentence or two. Today the post composer is packed with extras: photos, tags, check-ins, feelings, colored backgrounds, GIFs, live video and more. Each option makes a post more expressive, and several also change who sees it or what it reveals. Here's what each one does and what to think about before tapping it.

Exact labels and the order of options vary between the app and the website, and between account types, so your screen may look a little different.

Starting a post

Tap What's on your mind? at the top of your Feed or profile. Before you type anything, look under your name for the audience button. It shows who will see the post: Public, Friends, Friends except..., Specific friends, Only me, or a custom list. Facebook remembers your last choice, so check it every time. Our guide on using lists and the audience selector goes into more detail.

The options in the post composer

Photo or video

Add pictures or clips from your camera roll. A few privacy points:

• Photos taken on phones can include location information in the file, but Facebook removes much of this hidden metadata from uploaded photos. The bigger risk is what's visible in the picture: house numbers, school logos, car license plates and street signs.
• Albums keep their own audience setting, which may differ from your default.

Tag people

Tagging links a friend's profile to your post. That's a nice way to include someone, but it also:

• Notifies the person.
• Can show the post on their profile.
• May widen the audience to include their friends, depending on your settings and theirs.

Ask before tagging, especially with children's photos. You can turn on tag review in your profile settings, so tags others add of you need your approval before they appear on your profile. We explain tagging more broadly in what it means to be tagged.

Feeling or activity

Adds a line like "feeling grateful" or "watching a movie." Harmless on its own, but "traveling to..." combined with dates tells people your home may be empty.

Check in

A check-in attaches a place, such as a restaurant, park, school or city, to your post. This is the option with the most privacy weight:

• It reveals where you are right now.
• Checking in at the same places regularly reveals routines.
• Checking in at a child's school or practice field tells people where your child will be.

A good family habit: post about places after you've left, and never check in at your home, school or kids' regular activities.

Background color

Short text posts can be shown on a colored or patterned background. Purely cosmetic.

GIF and stickers

Add an animated image or sticker. Also cosmetic, though it's worth knowing that GIF search results can occasionally include content that isn't kid-friendly.

Live video

Go Live broadcasts video in real time to the audience you pick. Live video deserves extra caution for teens: it's unedited, viewers can comment in real time, and anything said or shown can be recorded. Our article on live streaming risks covers this in depth.

Life event

Marks milestones like a new job, a move or a graduation. These often default to more prominent display on your profile and can reveal details such as your employer, school or new city.

Other extras

Depending on your account, you may also see options to add music, start a fundraiser, ask for recommendations, create an event or poll, or tag a Page or product. Each works the same way: it adds something to the post, so give it the same "what does this reveal?" check.

After you post

• Edit post: fix typos or change tags from the three-dot menu.
• Edit audience: change who can see it at any time.
• Turn off commenting or limit who can comment on public posts, if your account offers it.
• Delete or move to trash: removes it from your profile. Deleted posts may sit in a trash or archive area for a time before permanent deletion.

Talking with teens about posting

The post composer is designed to make sharing easy and fun, which is exactly why it's worth a conversation. Questions that help teens decide what to share:

1. Who is in my audience right now?
2. Does this show where I am, or where I'll be?
3. Did everyone in the photo agree to be tagged?
4. Would I be okay if this got screenshotted and shared?

Teen Accounts on Facebook default many audience settings to Friends, which helps, but the choices inside each post are still up to them.

Posting on behalf of kids

Many parents post updates that are really about their children: first days of school, sports wins, funny quotes. A few habits keep those posts kind and safe:

• Use first names only, or none at all.
• Skip school uniforms, name tags and jersey names that reveal where a child spends the day.
• Ask older kids before posting. By the tween years, many children have strong opinions about what's shared about them.
• Choose a smaller audience, such as a Family list, for anything personal.
• Think long term. A funny bath-time photo today may feel very different to your child at 15.

Before-you-post checklist

• Audience button checked.
• No check-in at home, school or regular activities; post about places after leaving.
• Nothing identifying visible in photos.
• Permission from people you tag, especially other people's kids.
• Live video only with a small, trusted audience, and not for younger teens.
• Tag review turned on in your profile settings.