I have a chilling tale for you, so I trust you’re prepared. You launch Instagram and glide over to Reels, swiping through the vertical clips and either commenting on or liking the videos that resonate with you in some manner — a clip of a kitten on the subway, a recipe, some exercise suggestions, an attractive individual on holiday. You believe these interactions are private, but you discover through an awkward screenshot or message from a friend that these interactions are indeed visible to all your mutuals.

This chilling tale is real. However, you can rectify it.

Meta started experimenting with Friends, a section in Reels, a few weeks back. This week, Instagram officially debuted the tab, “where you can view public content your friends have engaged with or recommendations from Blends you’ve initiated and easily spark discussions about them,” Instagram noted in a blog post.

“Friends will assist you in seeing which Reels the people you appreciate the most are creating and interacting with,” Instagram stated.

Yet, if you’d prefer to keep your liking and commenting habits under wraps, there’s a method to ensure that no one learns about your true digital inner self. Here’s how to stop Instagram from sharing your likes and comments in the Friends tab on Reels.

Total Time: 1 min

What You Need:
– iPhone
– Instagram app

Step 1: Go to your “Settings and activity” page
The initial step to prevent Instagram from disclosing your likes in the Friends tab is to go to your “Settings and activity” page. Simply visit your profile and click the gear icon in the upper right corner.

Step 2: Go to your “Activity in Friends tab” page
To stop Instagram from revealing your likes in the Friends tab, scroll down on the “Settings and activity” page and select “Activity in Friends tab.”

Step 3: Decide who can see your likes and comments on Reels
After selecting “Activity in Friends tab,” you’ll be directed to a page that lets you determine if you’d like your followers who follow you back to see your likes and comments on Reels in the Friends tab, or if you’d prefer to keep that private. Toggle between the two options to select your preference.

Just because you deactivate who can see your interactions doesn’t mean you can’t peek at your friends’ public interactions, though. To do just that and access your Friends tab, tap the “Friends” tab at the top of Reels.