Social media is an obsession for teenagers and adults alike, with so many of us meticulously posting statuses, check-ins and photos on Facebook, Instagram et al in the hope of generating likes and comments. It has become so ingrained in people’s lives that, for noteworthy occasions such as holidays or concerts, it’s almost obligatory to tell your friends and followers that you’re about to board a plane to the Mediterranean for a two-week holiday or excitedly waiting for Ed Sheeran to take to the stage.

What many of us don’t realize, though, is that by ‘checking in’ to a location or advertising your holiday plans, you’re informing more than just a few friends. You’re effectively broadcasting to the wider world, as even those who aren’t among your contacts could easily come across your social media posts unless you have taken great care with your privacy settings.

This infographic from Irish Telecom analyzes six of the most-used social sharing platforms in terms of their privacy settings. While Snapchat might be comparatively private in that only your contacts can see your images, posts on Twitter and Instagram are public by default, so it is up to you to check your privacy settings and amend as you see fit. This is something you should do without delay, for even when you change the privacy of posts, all previous posts will still be public.

It’s worth taking just a few minutes to visit all your social profiles and carefully check the privacy settings of each one so that you can make yourself far less visible to the world at large. Otherwise, a malicious stranger could be made aware that your house will be unoccupied for a fortnight…