You went down a rabbit hole and now gardening (or hot rod or political) posts are all you see online. Algorithms are smart, but they don’t know when you’re ready to get back to your regularly scheduled programming. 

It’s time to reset your feed and take control of what you see.

Win an iPhone 16 Pro with Apple Intelligence ($999 value). 

No purchase necessary. Enter to win now!

5-MINUTE CLEANUP FOR YOUR PHONE AND COMPUTER

Start with Facebook

Goodbye, annoying ads. It only takes a minute to kick out the things you no longer want to see.

The fix: Filter your advertising topics by going to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Account Center > Ad Preferences > Customize ads.

Random Facebook requests can end badly. This one lost a widow $40K.

Now, on to YouTube

Say your family is staying with you for the holidays and your niece is watching cartoons on your YouTube account all day long. Now that’s all YouTube recommends. Delete your search history to get things back to normal. 

The fix: On the YouTube app, tap You to bring up your History. Tap the cog icon > Settings > Manage All History. At the bottom, you’ll see DELETE with a blue down arrow. Tap from the dropdown menu to delete videos from today, a custom range or all time. Click X to remove items individually, if you prefer.

10 TECH UPGRADES TO SAVE YOUR TIME, PRIVACY AND MONEY THIS YEAR

Going forward, turn off your viewing history any time you don’t want those vids in your algorithm. You can set your video and search histories to autodelete, too. Now your YouTube is back to how you like it, with my video podcast at the very top. You’ll love it!

TikTok tracks your habits 

TikTok’s algorithm is built to keep you on the app. Every time you like, follow or comment on something, it tells the algorithm you’re interested in a video, and more videos like it will pop up on your For You page. Disliking a video or writing a nasty comment doesn’t matter, by the way; you still kept watching.

The fix: Reset your feed. Open your Profile in the bottom right corner then press the three lines at the top right > Settings and Privacy > Content Preferences > Refresh Your For You Feed > Continue. 

Fine-tune Instagram 

Watch Instagram Reels instead? There’s no way to reset them, but you can nudge the algorithm in the right direction.

The fix: Tap the three dots in the upper right corner. From here, you can adjust:

I’M A TECH EXPERT: 10 AI PROMPTS YOU’LL USE ALL THE TIME

Here’s the giveaway that an email from Instagram about your security is fake.

Most apps have this option

On just about every social platform, you can hide or see less of certain things. The more you take this action, the more you steer the algorithm.

The fix: Next to a post, video or anything else, look for the three-dot or three-line menu that opens more options. On YouTube, for example, tap the three dots next to a video and choose Don’t recommend channel or Not interested.

Feeling inspired to clean more of your digital traces? Wipe your browser history while you’re at it. Here’s how.

Final piece of advice

Your social media feed is carefully curated based on who you follow, who follows you and, most importantly, what you do online. Sure, you can reset your algorithm, but don’t be fooled. Every post you linger on, like, comment on or share gets tracked and used to shape what you see next. Even just scrolling tells the platform what grabs your attention. 

Before your next deep dive, remember: Big Tech is always watching, and your every move fine-tunes what pops up next.

Get tech-smarter on your schedule

Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.

Copyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved. 

In 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter and made a series of changes to the platform, including changing its name to X and introducing Community Notes, which is a feature that allows users to add context or fact-check potentially misleading posts.

This approach differs from Meta’s model, which relies on third-party, independent fact-checking organizations to flag misleading posts on Instagram, Facebook and Threads (its rival to X). 

However, CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that Meta will stop working with these organizations and instead implement an X-like Community Notes feature. Zuckerberg also revealed a series of other major changes to the company's moderation policies and practices, aimed at offering people more freedom of expression.

I’M GIVING AWAY THE LATEST & GREATEST AIRPODS PRO 2

Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the social media company would stop working with third-party fact-checking organizations. In a video posted on Instagram and Facebook, Zuckerberg said the company's content moderation approach resulted too often in "censorship."

"After Trump first got elected in 2016, the legacy media wrote nonstop about how misinformation was a threat to democracy. We tried in good faith to address those concerns without becoming the arbiters of truth," Zuckerberg said. "But the fact-checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially in the U.S."

Zuckerberg said that Meta will end its fact-checking program with trusted partners and replace it with a community-driven system similar to X’s Community Notes.

For the unaware, Community Notes on X allows users to collaboratively add context or fact-check potentially misleading posts. When a tweet is flagged for misinformation or lack of context, users can submit notes that provide additional information or correct inaccuracies. 

These notes are then reviewed by other users, who can upvote or downvote the contributions based on their helpfulness and accuracy. If a note receives enough support, it becomes visible beneath the original tweet, offering a balanced view and helping to inform others.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SOCIAL MEDIA SCAMMERS

Independent fact-checkers, however, aren’t happy with the change.

"Fact-checking journalism has never censored or removed posts; it’s added information and context to controversial claims, and it’s debunked hoax content and conspiracy theories. The fact-checkers used by Meta follow a code of principles requiring nonpartisanship and transparency," said Angie Drobnic Holan, director of the International Fact-Checking Network.

WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)?

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FACEBOOK ACCOUNT FROM HACKERS

Zuckerberg also revealed plans to overhaul Meta's recommendation system, which determines the content shown to users. For years, the company has restricted political content, citing user feedback and concerns about the impact of social media on beliefs.

"We built a lot of complex systems to moderate content, but the problem with complex systems is they make mistakes," Zuckerberg said. "Even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts, that's millions of people, and we've reached a point where it's just too many mistakes and too much censorship."

He added that Meta would eliminate some content policies on controversial issues, including immigration and gender, and refocus its automated moderation on what he described as high-severity violations. The company will now take a more personalized approach to political content so that people who want to see more of it in their feeds can see it.

In addition, Facebook will relocate its trust and safety and content moderation teams from California to Texas. Zuckerberg also said Meta would collaborate with the incoming Trump administration to promote free speech globally, though he did not provide specific details.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM ARE USING YOUR DATA TO TRAIN AI: LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF

Meta's platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, have been more tightly moderated compared to platforms like X, which has meant less freedom of expression for users. The changes Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday aim to relax those rules, letting people share their thoughts more freely. This could lead to more offensive content, but that's the trade-off for more freedom. The introduction of Community Notes is a good change, too, as it gives users more control instead of leaving it to a small group of people who might be biased toward a certain political party or issue.

What do you think about the changes Zuckerberg is making to Meta’s content moderation? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.

Ask Kurt a question or let us know what stories you'd like us to cover.

Follow Kurt on his social channels:

Answers to the most asked CyberGuy questions:

New from Kurt:

Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.

A 14-year-old committed suicide after following the advice of an AI chatbot. Another family is suing the same one — Character AI — after it told an autistic 14-year-old to kill his parents. It also exposed an 11-year-old to sexual content.

These stories are heavy reminders that young people are especially vulnerable on the internet, but AI isn’t the only thing targeting them.

HOW TO (KINDLY) ASK PEOPLE NOT TO POST YOUR KIDS' PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The fine folks at the FBI’s crime division say teens lost 2,500% more money to scams over a recent five-year stretch. Compare that to an 805% increase for seniors, which is still not great, but at least it’s not 2,500%.

So, why teens? Because thieves have more ways than ever to target them. Talk to anyone in your circle born between 1996 and 2010 about this. It’s a big deal.

I share smart tech news and tips you can use every single day. Join 600K readers who get The Current.

The most prevalent scams and tricks

Under the influence: Say a kiddo in your family idolizes an online influencer. That person is so easy to impersonate. All a fraudster has to do is set up a phony account that looks real, run a contest and trick "winners" into handing over their personal details (or more) to claim their (nonexistent) prizes. Done and done.

Pro tip: Stick to "official" influencer accounts with substantial follower counts. A smaller account is almost always a scammer, not some secret one. And never give financial info or money to someone via DM.

‘Hey there, handsome’: This is a classic for a reason. Scammers grab pictures of an attractive teen or 20-something and play digital Casanovas. All too soon, they profess their love — then comes the request for money, gifts or info.

Pro tip: Try a reverse image search to see if those pics pop up elsewhere online. If the person refuses to video call or meet you in person, it’s a bad sign.

RELATED: Deepfakes are so easy to make. Talk to your kids.

‘Send me a photo’: This is the dangerous intersection of smartphones, sexting and scammers. Someone shares sexy pictures and asks for some in return. As soon as the victim sends a pic or video, everything changes.

AI EXPERT: CHATGPT PROMPTS YOU’LL WISH YOU KNEW SOONER

The person on the other end is now blackmailing them. Pay up or they’ll share the content with everyone the victim knows. Think about how horrifying that would be at any age, but especially as a teenager. I spoke to a family that lost their son to suicide after this happened to him. Such a heartbreaking story, and they’re not alone; this is way too common.

Pro tip: Talk to your kids about sending pictures to others online. Urge them to never share anything explicit, even with someone they know in person and trust. It’s just not worth it.

‘You won!’ … Not": This one targets younger teens. A thief tricks them into revealing credit card details or downloading malware under the guise of rewards in their favorite game.

Pro tip: This one’s easy. Only ever buy apps or make in-app purchases through an official app store — no trades and nothing "private."

So, what can you do?

The internet is an incredible resource for learning, creativity and fun, but let’s not sugarcoat it: there are dangers out there. Scammers and predators have become experts at manipulation, and kids can easily fall victim. The most important thing you can do as a parent? Foster open, honest communication.

When my son was younger, I shared age-appropriate stories about what he might encounter online. We talked about the risks in a way he could understand. He knew that if anything or anyone made him feel uncomfortable, he should come to me immediately, no questions asked.

DO THIS WITH YOUR FAMILY VIDEOS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE

That’s the foundation: trust. Kids need to know that they won’t get in trouble for being fooled. Today’s online predators are sneaky, and scammers know exactly how to win a child’s trust. If your child is targeted, it’s never their fault. 

Here’s my free tech safety contract you both can sign if you’re not sure where to start the conversation around tech limits.

Action plan for parents

Remember when you had a fake driver’s license or told a little white lie to get what you wanted? Kids have ways around parental controls and are smart enough to spin the birth year wheel when signing up to get around age restrictions. 

RELATED: Best apps and gadgets to monitor your kid (from preschool to teens)

Set clear ground rules for screen time and device use, and keep the conversation going as they grow. A few simple steps to take:

The best protection is being your child’s go-to resource for help and guidance. Let your kids know you’re there, ready to listen, no matter what. That’s the real safety net.

Get tech-smarter on your schedule

Award-winning host Kim Komando is your secret weapon for navigating tech.

Copyright 2025, WestStar Multimedia Entertainment. All rights reserved.