Every user worldwide uses social media for a few hours daily. As the popularity of social apps rises, more users are diverting to them. One such popular application is Instagram. Many creators, artists, students, and business professionals use this app to share their work. According to a 2024 survey, Instagram currently has 1.4 billion users worldwide.
This high number of users creates security and privacy concerns. As your Instagram is a personal space, you may appreciate an unknown person checking your account.
This article discusses how to identify stalkers on your Instagram account and remove them. Let’s get started.
Can You Know Who Checked Your Instagram Account?
Sadly, Instagram doesn’t offer a feature that can help you detect a stalker. However, you can still detect lurkers with other methods. Many business profiles give you information on posts that prompt engagement, and Instagram stories will show you who often looks at your posts. You can use that data to figure out who could be stalking you on Instagram.
Is there a follower who is making you uncomfortable? Block it. Blocked accounts will never be able to see your profile or posts again. If blocking accounts isn’t your style, removing followers silently without notification is another option.
So, no, you can’t detect stalkers. But you can be smart, use the Instagram digital environment to your advantage, and figure out whose behavior towards you is suspicious.
Are Instagram Stalkers Dangerous?
To an extent, Instagram provides a window into our lives—one that many hackers and snoopers may peer through without permission. It’s usually safe when someone follows your activities online. But when things get out of hand, excessive behavior should trigger your red flags. Why, we hear you ask? Here are some reasons why Instagram stalking could be dangerous for you:
- Privacy Invasion: Let’s start with the basics. Even if you share what you’re doing on the platform, you have every right to protect your privacy, and extensive monitoring violates the boundaries you set. The wildest cases can involve gathering personal data such as locations and background information, which could turn digital stalking into analog, real-life stalking.
- Identity theft: Then, we have the risk of identity theft. Your pictures and personal details on Instagram can provide enough information for that. The stalker can then turn into a fully-fledged cybercriminal.
- Harassment: Lastly, harassment remains prevalent on Instagram (and outside). Some examples include overly aggressive comments, inappropriate messages, bullying, and things of the sort.
There is no doubt that Instagram enables community connection. Still, the unhealthy fixation on an individual user creates the potential for several harmful acts. By understanding these risks, account owners can better safeguard personal information and recognize signs of excessive, dangerous attention. Increased awareness empowers users against those rare ill-intentioned observers.
How to Know if Someone is Stalking Your Instagram?
Here are a few popular methods to see who stalks your Instagram profile:
1. Analyse Instagram Profile Interactions
Have a look at your profile interactions. You can do that by clicking on the heart icon at the top right corner. It will tell you who liked your content, who made a comment, and who has followed you recently. These are all bits and pieces of information that could help you find the answers you want.
2. Notice Who is Watching Your Instagram Stories
Another tool for determining who’s stalking you on Instagram is finding out who’s looking at your stories. Open your story and click on the viewers (it’s on the bottom left). Now, you’ll know all the users who viewed your story.
Remember again that Instagram users who are not following you need to make an additional effort to see your stories by finding your profile each time and then clicking on your profile picture. Your stories do not show up in their feeds, so they don’t even know if there is something new for them to see each time they reach your profile again. An unknown individual who seems to be paying too much attention to your Instagram stories is also a red flag and could be a stalker.
The platform shows your stories to the Instagram users who are “closer” to you, those with whom you interact most. The viewing list shows the chronological order in which the viewers saw it. But wait! Things change if you reach a given number of viewers! In a popular story, those who interact with your material get a higher ranking than the rest. Having unknown users among your top viewers is also a sign to consider when looking for a stalker.
3. Check Your Instagram Followers
Paying closer attention to your Instagram follower list will also pay off. All you need to do is tap on your bottom-right profile picture and the follower number. You will find your complete list of Instagram followers here.
Is one of those followers somebody you can’t recognize? Open his profile and have a look around. It could be a fake account meant to keep track of you exclusively. Signs of that would include:
- Minor or no activity in the platform.
- Following a few other users besides you (a handful or fewer).
- The profile consists of no photo or identifying information.
Suppose you find a follower that looks like a potentially fake account. In that case, we strongly suggest deleting it from your follower list. A stalker could be behind it. In general, you should find all the followers you don’t know (or want) on Instagram to eliminate them. Remember one golden rule about social media: quality is better than quantity. Quantity comes with threats.
4. Avoid Third-party Apps
Third-party apps are another way to find Instagram stalkers. There are loads of these in the app stores. Most will tell you who is following you (or unfollowing), liking your posts, or blocking you. Some apps even promise to show you who’s seen your profile. While these apps seem helpful and convenient, we suggest you avoid them at all costs. First of all, you can’t trust their information is 100% accurate. The top social networks do not publish visitor data, so there is no way for the app to know what it’s telling you, and it will be random more often than not.
Also, these apps can be a threat to your privacy. Most of them are free, and they make a buck by selling your information to third parties and flooding you with ads and trackers. They want to monetize your activities and have the expertise to do it.
So, third-party apps will not give you the accurate information you need, and they will threaten your privacy instead of helping you protect it. Stay away from them.
5. Instagram Insights
Instagram insights are available to learn all the detailed statistics you need about your Instagram experience. It can show you the engagement level and other interactions. And this is one of the reasons why your Instagram account should be business or creator – otherwise, it’s unavailable.
Dealing with Instagram Stalkers
Once you’ve found a potential Instagram stalker, you’ll probably want to discourage or stop him from continuing. There are some measures for you to take, which are:
Hide Your Instagram Stories
Consider hiding your Instagram stories from somebody you consider a potential stalker by following these steps:
- From your Instagram profile, tap the hamburger icon (top right).
- Tap on Settings.
- Scroll down to Who can see your content.
- Next, tap on Hide story and live from.
- Select the accounts you want to hide your Instagram Stories from.
- Tap Done in the top right corner.
Remove the Account from Your Follower List
You can also prevent somebody from looking at your Instagram account by eliminating them from your follower list. Instagram will stop feeding your activities to them. Here’s how you can do it:
- From your Instagram profile, tap on your follower count.
- Search for the account you want to remove.
- Tap on Remove.
Block the Instagram Stalker
So, wasn’t removing an account enough to stop the stalking? Well, you can always block them. A blocked Instagram user will never be able to see your Instagram profile again. As far as they are concerned, you don’t exist anymore. The individual in question will never be notified about getting blocked, and they will find out about their new status the hard way. Here’s how you can do it:
- On Instagram, search for the account you want to block.
- On their profile, tap the three horizontal dots in the top right corner.
- Tap on Block and follow the steps to block it.
Report a Stalker if Necessary
Is someone harassing you on Instagram? Report them. Instagram does not allow threats, blackmail, or harassment. It also does not allow the creation of fake accounts to deceive others.
However, repeatedly looking at someone’s profile upholds the rules. That is considered “Instagram stalking” and is perfectly legal, although it may be uncomfortable.
If you suffer from repeated unwanted messages, offensive comments, or someone trying to intimidate you, go to your account’s privacy settings. You can block that person so they cannot contact you.
You can also report the account if the harassment persists. Go to the user’s profile, tap the three dots in the upper right corner, and select “Report.” Choose the option that best describes the situation.
Instagram will investigate and take appropriate action. This could be removing specific posts, suspending the account, or even permanently disabling it in severe or repeated cases.
Remember that you do not have to tolerate any abuse. Use the tools Instagram provides to keep yourself safe. And if the harassment persists, do not hesitate to contact the authorities.
How to Avoid Instagram Stalkers
Unfortunately, Instagram can be used by ill-intentioned people for stalking and harassment. However, you can take proactive steps to protect yourself:
1. Make Your Account Private
Make your account private so only approved followers see your content. Go to “Privacy Settings” and toggle “Private Account” on. This prevents abusers from accessing posts and info.
Limit visibility of stories and posts in Privacy Settings. Disable comments from strangers or restrict accounts that can view your content.
2. Do Not Share Personal Details
Avoid oversharing personal details like your address or phone number in your bio or posts. This info can facilitate real-world stalking. Also, be cautious of revealing too much about loved ones.
3. Carefully Review Follow Requests and Followers Lists
Reject unfamiliar followers and block suspicious accounts that appear focused on tracking your activities. This maintains control over who interacts with you.
4. Use Two-factor Authentication
Leverage two-factor authentication (2FA). 2FA requires secondary confirmation of login attempts via text or app. This safeguard makes it much harder for hackers to access your account.
Frequently checking and refining privacy settings substantially reduces risks from Instagram stalkers. You deserve to feel secure while enjoying the platform. Prioritizing safety empowers your experience.
5. Share Stories with Friends Only
Post stories only to your closest friends. Want to share Instagram Stories without exposing details to all followers? The Close Friends feature allows sharing Stories with a select inner circle.
- Navigate to Settings > Privacy > Close Friends.
- Use the toggle to turn on Close Friends and tap “Edit List.”
- Review your followers list and tap the circles next to chosen insiders. Customize as desired.
- Confirm by tapping “Done” in the top right.
- Discreetly Restrict Instagram Stalkers with the Restricted Accounts feature so you can stay under the radar:
- Go to Settings > Privacy > Restricted Accounts.
- Tap “Continue.”
- Search for and select the accounts you wish to restrict
Restrict a Potential Stalker
Restricted users will now be blocked from viewing your activity status, stories, and when you’ve read their messages. It’s a subtle but effective way to regain privacy without an outright block.
Revisit your Restricted Accounts whenever needed to curate who can access your activity. Protecting your peace of mind is the first priority. A few adjustments will help you get there by restricting a specific follower.
Conclusion
Instagram stalking isn’t enjoyable, but panicking about it won’t help you either. Overly eager “fans” are not harmful too often, even if their brand of attention gives you the chills. But constantly aggressive behavior is a different thing. If it makes you feel unsafe, you can do something about it.
Instagram partially covers you with tools to protect your peace of mind. Private accounts, restricted profiles, and blocking put control back in your hands. Get used to periodically reviewing followers and privacy settings. This allows you to calmly correct without overreacting.
Seeking support can also help if you feel targeted or afraid. Talk to close friends and family or consider speaking to authorities if you ever receive threats or experience harassment extending beyond Instagram.
Ultimately, staying vigilant about privacy and setting firm boundaries helps maintain your power over the situation. While hoping for the best, prepare for the worst by proactively leveraging Instagram’s safety features. Remaining practical and self-protective avoids feeding into anxiety. Whatever you do online, always use a quality VPN service like ExtremeVPN to protect your identity.
FAQs
