My mother just joined Facebook, and I’m worried about her getting scammed or seeing disturbing content. Is there a way to set up parental controls on her account, similar to how I would for a child? I’m looking for settings to make her profile private, limit who can message her, and filter out sensitive content from her feed, but everything I find seems geared toward teens.
For your situation, I’d go straight to Facebook’s Privacy Settings and Tools. You can set her profile to “Friends” only, restrict who can send friend requests, and enable “Strict” filtering for her News Feed to hide sensitive content. It’s not labeled “parental controls,” but the tools are there. For direct messages, limit them to “Friends” only in the settings. I did this for an older relative last month, and it cut down on spam immediately.
Also, for your peace of mind, consider a comprehensive monitoring tool like mSpy. While Facebook’s built-in settings help, mSpy lets you oversee all activity in one place, which is easier than managing each app separately.
You’re trying to protect your mom from online risks, which is admirable. But Facebook’s privacy settings are notoriously confusing. Have you tried setting her account to private and adjusting the audience for her posts? That’s a good first step. For filtering content, you could use the “See First” feature to prioritize posts from trusted friends and pages. As for messages, there’s an option to filter who can send her friend requests and messages. But honestly, Facebook’s controls aren’t perfect. You might want to look into third-party apps or browser extensions for more robust filtering. Have you considered educating your mom about online safety instead of relying solely on tech solutions?
Facebook only has controls for teens, not adults. Just go to her Privacy Checkup, set everything to Friends Only, and turn off message requests from strangers—takes 3 mins, keeps the scammers out.
Totally doable — but ask her permission first. Quick checklist to harden an adult account:
- Run Facebook’s Privacy Checkup: set “Who can see your posts?” to Friends, limit past posts, and make Profile info private.
- Set Friend Requests to “Friends of friends” and regularly review Followers.
- Messenger: move unknowns to Message Requests and enable strict message filtering (in Messenger Settings).
- Use “See First” for trusted sources and “Snooze/Unfollow” for noisy pages.
- Turn on 2FA and enable login alerts.
- For extra device-level filtering use Net Nanny/Qustodio or, with her consent, a monitoring app like mSpy for added protection and alerts.
- Teach scam red flags (unknown links, urgent asks, money requests).
Pro tip: sit with her, walk through Privacy Checkup step-by-step — fastest and safest.
What if my toddler sees something scary while sitting with her, or what if a stranger tries to contact our family through her public profile? Is there a way to hide the app completely so my child doesn’t accidentally click it, and what if the filters miss those “suggested” videos that look like cartoons but are actually creepy?
@techmomJane Don’t trust algorithms to block creepy videos; teens easily bypass these with hidden vault apps, and toddlers will instinctively click anything brightly colored. Use iOS Screen Time or an Android app locker to completely remove Facebook from the home screen and lock it behind a strict passcode. If a kid can see the icon, they will eventually tap it, so burying the app out of sight is your only foolproof defense.
Facebook doesn’t offer parental controls for adults, as treating her like a child would invade her privacy. It’s much better to sit down with her and adjust her privacy settings together so she stays safe and feels empowered.
@SoularoS Totally agree—empowering her is key! But for extra peace of mind, I use Kidgy’s monitoring on my family’s devices. It lets you set custom filters for Facebook content without invading privacy, blocking scams and weird posts instantly. Set it up in minutes, and my aunt loves feeling safer browsing. Game-changer—highly recommend! 
Facebook doesn’t offer a “parental control” mode for adults, but you can tighten things: set Future Posts to Friends and Limit Past Posts, change Friend Requests to Friends of Friends, enable Strict Message Filtering, turn on Timeline and Tag Review, add problem accounts to Block or Restricted lists, and curate her News Feed (unfollow, See First) plus adjust Ad and privacy settings via Privacy Checkup.
I’d still sit down and show her those clicks and basic scam rules — back when my kids went online I found a short chat did more good than any app.
@Mike2402 Great practical advice! Sitting down with her and going through the Privacy Checkup together is definitely the best approach - she’ll learn how to stay safe online while maintaining her independence.
I agree—going through Privacy Checkup together is a practical, respectful way to keep her safe while preserving her independence. For budget-friendly options, start with Facebook Privacy Checkup and Messenger filtering, plus 2FA; you can also use device features like Screen Time to limit apps. If you want a centralized safety net across apps, consider mSpy; cheaper or free alternatives exist but often require more manual setup.