Most of us agree that we can’t get through a week without spending some time scrolling through our social media apps. However, they might not always have your best interests in mind.
As we enter a new year, more and more people are growing concerned about their privacy and security on their smartphones. Although most smartphones come with built-in security, there are also some risks that come with the things you download to them, including apps. We spoke with tech experts about three social media apps you should delete for better privacy on your phone in 2026. Read more about them below.
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1. Facebook
Although Facebook is considered the blueprint for most of today's big social media apps, it's increasingly becoming more concerning in the eyes of tech and cybersecurity experts.
"Facebook is the first one I recommend for deletion," says tech expert Paul DeMott. "A large number of Facebook users access their account through a web browser; however, if you install the Facebook App on your device, you now have access to how you are utilizing the app, and how you are accessing other apps and websites. This leads to a massive 40% extraction of your behavioral patterns and interests based upon your activity on other websites and apps outside of the Facebook Platform."
2. TikTok
Many, many people on the planet can't imagine life without TikTok, especially given how it's expanded so much as an app. Even though it survived the 'ban,' some tech experts are suggesting you part ways with it next year for safety reasons.
"TikTok doesn't require access to your GPS location to know your location, as it extracts the IP, SIM, and network information you use regardless," says tech expert Steven Athwal. "The whole service is founded on tracking, which means that removing it will give you the fastest data leak reduction."
3. Snapchat
Snapchat is no longer just a silly little app where you exchange pictures that disappear after a certain amount of time. There are all sorts of new features, and many of them require your location and other sensitive data, making it not so safe anymore.
"While Snapchat markets itself as a fun, temporary messaging app, it has some of the most intrusive location tracking features of any app, and these features are enabled by default," explains DeMott. "It uses your precise geographic data to support the Snap Maps feature, and thus makes your actual physical location available to anyone who views your Snap Map. Unless you specifically disable location services, it continues to log your movement in the background, thereby eroding your reasonable expectations of location-based privacy."
