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Social Media Privacy & Data Leaks: Risks, User Behavior, and Cybersecurity Awareness Among Students

Lipika Rajanandini Sahu1 , Vishal Kumar. R2 , Rohan S Nair3, Aathish Karkera4

1Assistant Professor, CS & IT, Jain Deemed to be University, Karnataka, India

2Student, BCA Cybersecurity, Jain Deemed to be University, Karnataka, India

3Student, BCA Cybersecurity, Jain Deemed to be University, Karnataka, India

4Student, BCA Cybersecurity, Jain Deemed to be University, Karnataka, India

Abstract - Socialmedia platformshavebecomeanessential part of everyday communication, allowing billions of users to connect, share information, and interact online. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X have made it easier for people to exchange ideas, build communities, and access information instantly. However, along with these advantages, social media has alsointroducedseriousconcerns related to user privacy and data security. Many users unknowingly share personal information such as their location, daily activities, relationships, and contact details without fully understanding the risks associated with their digital footprint.

As the use of social media continues to grow, incidents of data leaks, identity theft, phishing attacks, and cyberstalking have also increased. In many cases, users are unaware of how their personaldata is collected, stored, andanalyzed bysocial media platforms, advertisers, and third-party applications. Oversharing personal details and not properly configuring privacy settings can significantly increase the chances of sensitive information being exposed or misused.

This studyexamines the relationshipbetweensocialmedia usage, oversharing behaviour, and cybersecurity awareness among students. A mixed-methods research approach was used, combining survey responses and semi-structured interviews to understand how students interact with social media and how aware they are of privacy risks. The findings indicate that althoughmanystudents are somewhat awareof privacy threats, a significant number still engage in risky online behaviours, such as sharing personal information publicly or ignoring basic security practices.

The results highlight a clear gap between users’ awareness of privacy risks and their actual online behavior. The study suggests that improving digital literacy, promoting cybersecurity education, and encouraging responsible online practices can help reduce the risks associated with social mediadataexposure.Strengtheningprivacyawarenessamong students can play an important role in creating a safer and more secure digital environment.

Key Words: social media privacy, data leaks, cybersecurity awareness, digital footprint,oversharing, identity theft, phishing attacks, privacy settings, data

breaches, online security, personal data protection, cybercrime, information security, user behavior, data exploitation, cyberstalking, social engineering, privacy risks, digital literacy, online safety, data protection policies.

1. INTRODUCTION

SocialmediaplatformssuchasFacebook,Instagram,TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) have become a central part of moderndigitalcommunication.Theseplatformsallowusers tointeract,shareinformation,andbuildonlinecommunities instantly. With billions of active users worldwide, social media has significantly transformed how people communicate, access information, and express their opinions. Students and young adults are among the most active users of these platforms, often relying on them for socialinteraction,collaboration,andentertainment.

Despitethebenefitsofconnectivityandinformationsharing, social media platforms also introduce serious concerns relatedtoprivacyanddatasecurity.Usersfrequentlyshare personal information such as photos, locations, daily activities,andopinionswithoutfullyunderstandinghowthis information may be collected, stored, and used by third parties. These activities create digital footprints that can reveal sensitive personal details about individuals. When combined with weak privacy settings and limited cybersecurityawareness,thisinformationcanbeexploited bycybercriminals,advertisers,orotherorganizations.

Several well-known incidents have demonstrated the potential consequences of social media data misuse. For example, the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed how personaldatafrommillionsofFacebookuserswascollected and used for political profiling and targeted advertising withoutproperconsent.Similardatabreachesandprivacy violationscontinuetooccur,exposinglargeamountsofuser dataandraisingconcernsabouthowsocialmediacompanies manageandprotectpersonalinformation.

Studentsareparticularlyvulnerabletotheseprivacyrisks becauseoftheirhighlevelsofsocialmediaengagementand tendency to share personal content online. Oversharing personal details, accepting unknown friend requests, and ignoring privacy settings are common behaviors that can increaseexposuretocyberthreatssuchasphishingattacks,

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 13 Issue: 05 | May 2026 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

identitytheft,andcyberstalking.Althoughmanyusersclaim tobeconcernedaboutprivacy,theiractualonlinebehavior oftendoesnotreflectsafecybersecuritypractices.

This study aims to examine privacy risks associated with socialmediausage,focusingonoversharingbehavior,digital footprints,andcybersecurityawarenessamongstudents.By analyzing user behavior and existing research on social media privacy, this paper seeks to identify key vulnerabilities and highlight the gap between privacy awareness and real-world practices. Understanding these factorsisimportantfordevelopingeffectivestrategiesthat promotesaferonlinebehaviorandstrengthendataprivacy protectioninthedigitalenvironment.

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

Previousresearchhasexploredvariousaspectsofsocial media privacy, including oversharing behavior, digital footprints, large-scale data breaches, and cybersecurity awareness among users. With the rapid growth of social mediaplatforms,researchershaveincreasinglyfocusedon understandinghowpersonalinformationsharedonlinecan exposeindividualstoprivacyrisksandcyberthreats.

Several studies have highlighted the dangers of oversharingpersonalinformationonsocialmediaplatforms. Users often share photos, location information, personal opinions, and daily activities without fully considering the long-term consequences of these actions. Such behaviors createdigitalfootprintsthatremainaccessibleonlineforlong periodsoftime.Researchhasshownthatcybercriminalscan use these publicly available details to conduct social engineeringattacks,identitytheft,andphishingcampaigns. Oversharing also increases the risk of cyberstalking and unauthorizedaccesstopersonalaccounts.

Another important area of research focuses on the predictive capabilities of social media data. Studies have demonstrated that digital traces such as likes, posts, and online interactions can reveal sensitive information about individuals.Forexample,previousresearchhasshownthat socialmediaactivitycanbeusedtopredictpersonalitytraits, political preferences, and behavioral patterns. These predictive capabilities raise ethical concerns about how organizationscollectandanalyzepersonaldatawithoutusers fullyunderstandinghowtheirinformationisbeingused.

Real-world data breach incidents have also played a significant role in highlighting the privacy risksassociated with social media platforms. One of the most widely discussed examples is the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where personal data from millions of Facebook users was collected and used for political profiling and targeted advertising.Similarincidentshavedemonstratedhowweak data protection policies and third-party applications can exposelargeamountsofuserdata tounauthorizedaccess. These events have increased public awareness about the

importance of data privacy and responsible data management.

Research on cybersecurity awareness further indicates thatmanysocialmediauserslacksufficientknowledgeabout onlineprivacyrisksandprotectivepractices.Studentsand youngusers,despitebeingfrequentusersofdigitalplatforms, often demonstrate limited awareness of privacy settings, strong password practices, and other security measures. Studies suggest that improving digital literacy and cybersecurity education can significantly reduce the likelihoodofusersbecomingvictimsofcybercrime.

Althoughexistingstudiesprovidevaluableinsightsintosocial mediaprivacyrisks,thereisstilllimitedresearchthatfocuses specifically on students’ behaviors and awareness levels regarding data privacy and cybersecurity practices. Understanding how students interact with social media platformsandhowtheymanagetheirpersonalinformation online is essential for developing effective strategies to improvedigitalsafetyandreducetherisksassociatedwith dataleaks.

3. METHODOLOGY

This study investigates social media privacy risks, oversharingbehavior,andcybersecurityawarenessamong students.Amixed-methodsresearchapproachwasadopted inordertoobtainbothquantitativeandqualitativeinsights. The methodology combines survey-based data collection withsemi-structuredinterviewstobetterunderstandhow students use social media and how aware they are of potential privacy threats. Using both methods allows the study tocapture statistical trends whilealso exploring the reasonsbehinduserbehavior.

Thequantitativecomponentofthestudywasconducted usinganonlinesurveydistributedtouniversitystudents.The survey was designed to measure several aspects of social media usage, including privacy awareness, frequency of informationsharing,andadoptionofcybersecuritypractices. The questionnaire consisted of multiple sections covering demographic information, social media usage patterns, privacy concerns, oversharing behavior, and security practicessuchastheuseofstrongpasswordsandtwo-factor authentication.Responseswerecollectedusingafive-point Likertscaletoevaluateparticipants’levelofagreementwith statements related to privacy risks and cybersecurity awareness.

Participants in the study consisted primarily of undergraduateandgraduatestudentsbetweentheagesof18 and25.Thisgroupwasselectedbecausestudentsrepresent one of the most active demographics on social media platformsandarethereforemoreexposedtoprivacyrisks anddataleakageissues.Thesurveywasdistributedthrough onlineplatformsanduniversitycommunicationchannelsto reach a diverse group of participants. A total of several

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 13 Issue: 05 | May 2026 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

hundred responses were collected and filtered to ensure completenessandreliability.

In addition to the survey, semi-structured interviews wereconductedwithasmallergroupofparticipantsselected from the survey respondents. These interviews allowed researchers to explore participants’attitudes, motivations, and experiences related to social media privacy in greater detail.Interviewquestionsfocusedontopicssuchasreasons forsharingpersonalinformationonline,awarenessofdata breaches,and perceptions of privacy risks associated with socialmediaplatforms.

Thecollecteddatawereanalyzedusingbothquantitative andqualitativemethods.Surveyresponseswereexamined using descriptive statistics to identify patterns in privacy awareness, oversharing behavior, and cybersecurity practices. Correlation analysis was also used to examine relationshipsbetweenvariablessuchassocialmediausage frequency and the likelihood of oversharing personal information.Qualitativeinterviewresponseswereanalyzed usingthematicanalysistoidentifyrecurringpatternsandkey themesrelatedtoprivacyawarenessandonlinebehavior.

By combining survey data with interview insights, this methodology provides a comprehensive understanding of howstudentsinteractwithsocialmediaplatformsandhow theirbehaviormayexposethemtoprivacyrisks.Thefindings from this approach help identify gaps between users’ awareness of privacy threats and their actual online practices,whichcaninformfuturestrategiesforimproving cybersecurityeducationanddigitalliteracy.

4. RESULTS & ANALYSIS

This section presents the findings obtained from the survey and interview data collected during the study. The analysisfocusesonthreemajoraspects:socialmediausage patterns, privacy awareness levels, and the adoption of cybersecuritypracticesamongstudents.Theresultscombine quantitative survey responses with qualitative insights gathered through interviews to better understand how studentsmanagetheirpersonalinformationonsocialmedia platforms.

TABLE-I PARTICIPANTDEMOGRAPHICS

Table I presents the demographic distribution of participants involved in the study. The majority of respondentswereundergraduatestudentsbetweentheages of18and25.Thisgrouprepresentsoneofthemostactive populationsonsocialmediaplatformsandthereforeprovides valuableinsightsintouserbehaviorandprivacyawareness.

TABLE-II SOCIALMEDIAPLATFORMUSAGE

Thesurveyresultsindicatethatsocialmediausageamong students is very high. Instagram was the most frequently usedplatformamongparticipants,followedcloselybyTikTok andX.Thepopularityoftheseplatformsdemonstrateshow social media plays an important role in students’ daily communicationandonlineengagement.

TABLE-III PRIVACYAWARENESSLEVELS

of major data breaches

of privacy settings

TableIIIsummarizestheprivacyawarenesslevelsofthe participants. The results indicate that students generally demonstratemoderateawarenessofprivacyrisksassociated with social media usage. A majority of participants understand that digital footprints can reveal personal information. However, awareness of major data breach incidentsandprivacyprotectionmeasuresremainsrelatively limited.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 13 Issue: 05 | May 2026 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

TABLE-IV OVERSHARINGBEHAVIORONSOCIAL MEDIA

Activity Percentage of Students

Sharing location information

Posting personal photos publicly

Sharing academic information

Accepting unknown friendrequests

Oversharing behavior was also observed among many participants. As shown in Table IV, more than half of the respondents reported sharing location information and personal photosonlinewithoutrestrictingvisibility.These behaviors increase the likelihood of personal information being accessed by unauthorized individuals or cybercriminals.

TABLE-V ADOPTIONOFCYBERSECURITYPRACTICES

Security Practice Percentage of Students

Two-factorauthentication

Strong and unique passwords

Restricting third-party appaccess

Regularly updating privacysettings

TableVpresentsthelevelofadoptionofrecommended cybersecurity practices among students. Although many participantsexpressedconcernaboutdataleaksandprivacy risks, fewer students reported actively implementing protective measures. Only about half of the participants enabledtwo-factorauthenticationorusedstrongpasswords, whileevenfewerrestrictedaccesstothird-partyapplications.

Statisticalanalysisalsorevealedthattheamountoftime spentonsocialmediaplatformsisrelatedtothelikelihoodof oversharing personal information. Students who reported spending more hours on social media were more likely to sharepersonaldetailspublicly.Incontrast,participantswith higher levels of privacy awareness demonstrated slightly lowerlevelsofriskyonlinebehavior.

Insights from the interviews further supported these findings. Many participants stated that although they understandthepotentialrisksofsocialmediadataexposure, theyoftenprioritizeconvenienceandsocialengagementover

privacyprotection.Somestudentsalsoreportedthatprivacy settings on social media platforms can be confusing or difficult to manage, which discourages them from actively adjustingtheirsecuritypreferences.

Overall, the results highlight a significant gap between students’awarenessofsocialmediaprivacyrisksandtheir actual online practices. While many users understand the potentialdangersofoversharinganddataleaks,inconsistent adoption of cybersecurity practices continues to expose personalinformationtopotentialmisuse.

5. DISCUSSION

Thefindingsofthisstudyprovideimportantinsightsinto howstudentsinteractwithsocialmediaplatformsandhow their behavior can expose them to privacy risks and data leaks. The results show that although many students are awareofthepotentialdangersassociatedwithsocialmedia usage, this awareness does not always translate into safe onlinepractices.Thisgapbetweenknowledgeandbehavior highlights the complexity of user behavior in digital environments.

Oneofthemostnotableobservationsfromtheresultsis thehighlevelofsocialmediaengagementamongstudents.A largepercentageofparticipantsreportedspendingseveral hourseachdayonplatformssuchasInstagram,TikTok,and X. While these platforms provide opportunities for communication,collaboration,andentertainment,theyalso increasethechancesofuserssharingpersonalinformation without carefully considering the potential consequences. Highlevelsofengagementcanthereforeincreaseexposureto privacy risks, particularly when users frequently post personalcontent.

The study also revealed that oversharing behavior remains common among students. Many participants reportedsharinglocationinformation,personalphotos,and daily activities without restricting access to their content. Thesebehaviorscreatedigitalfootprintsthatcanbeanalyzed andexploitedbycybercriminals,advertisers,orotherthirdpartyorganizations.Similarfindingshavebeenreportedin previous research, where oversharing on social media has been linked to increased risks of identity theft, phishing attacks,andcyberstalking.

Another important finding of this study is the gap between privacy awareness and the adoption of cybersecuritypractices.Althoughmanystudentsexpressed concern about data leaks and privacy violations, fewer participantsreportedusingsecuritymeasuressuchasstrong passwords,two-factorauthentication,orrestrictedprivacy settings.Thisindicatesthatawarenessaloneisnotsufficient toensuresafeonlinebehavior.Factorssuchasconvenience, lack oftechnical knowledge,andthecomplexityofprivacy settingsmaydiscourageusersfromactivelyprotectingtheir personaldata.

International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-ISSN: 2395-0056

Volume: 13 Issue: 05 | May 2026 www.irjet.net p-ISSN: 2395-0072

Socialpressureandthedesireforonlineengagementmay alsocontributetoriskyonlinebehavior.Manystudentsfeel encouraged to share personal experiences, photos, and updates in order to maintain social connections or gain attentiononsocialmediaplatforms.Platformalgorithmsthat reward engagement and visibility can further encourage userstosharemorepersonalinformation.Asaresult,users mayprioritizesocialinteractionoverprivacyprotection.

Thefindingsofthisstudyalsosupportpreviousresearch on digital footprints and predictive data analysis. Studies haveshownthatevensmallamountsofonlineactivity,such as likes, posts, and comments, can reveal sensitive information about users, including personality traits, interests, and behavioral patterns. When combined with oversharing behavior, these digital traces can be used for targeted advertising, profiling, or other forms of data exploitation.

These findings highlight the need for stronger cybersecurity awareness and digital literacy programs, particularly for students who are among the most active users of social media. Educational institutions can play an importantroleinpromotingresponsibleonlinebehaviorby incorporating cybersecurity education into academic programs.Inaddition,socialmediaplatformsshouldprovide clearer privacy controls and more user-friendly security settings to help users better manage their personal information.

Overall, the discussion emphasizes that social media privacyrisksarenotonlytechnicalissuesbutalsobehavioral and social challenges. Addressing these risks requires a combination of user education, improved platform design, and stronger data protection policies. By improving awareness and encouraging safer online practices, it is possibletoreducetherisksassociatedwithdataleaksand protectusersinanincreasinglydigitalsociety.

6. CONCLUSION

Thisstudyexaminedprivacyrisksassociatedwithsocial mediausage,focusingparticularlyonoversharingbehavior andcybersecurityawarenessamongstudents.Theresultsof the survey and interviews indicate that while students demonstrateamoderatelevelofawarenessregardingsocial mediaprivacyrisks,manycontinuetoengageinbehaviors thatmayexposetheirpersonalinformationonline.Activities such as sharing location data, posting personal content publicly, and neglecting privacy settings contribute to the creation of digital footprints that can be exploited by cybercriminalsorthird-partyorganizations.

The findings also reveal a clear gap between privacy awareness and the adoption of cybersecurity practices. Althoughmanystudentsexpressedconcernaboutdataleaks and privacy violations, fewer participants reported consistently using protective measures such as strong passwords,two-factorauthentication,andrestrictedprivacy

settings.Thissuggeststhatawarenessaloneisnotsufficient toensuresafeonlinebehaviorandthatadditionaleffortsare needed to encourage the practical application of cybersecurityknowledge.

Socialmediaplatformscontinuetoplayanimportantrole incommunication,education,andentertainmentforstudents. However, the design of these platforms often encourages frequentsharingofpersonalinformation,whichmayincrease exposuretoprivacyrisks.Withoutproperunderstandingof privacycontrolsandresponsibleonlinebehavior,usersmay unknowingly contribute to the exposure of their own personaldata.

Based on the findings of this study, improving digital literacyandcybersecurityeducationisessentialforreducing the risks associated with social media usage. Educational institutionsshouldincorporateprivacyawarenessandonline safety training into academic programs to help students betterunderstandhowtoprotecttheirpersonalinformation. In addition, social media platforms should continue improving their privacy controls and security features to makethemeasierforuserstounderstandandmanage.

Inconclusion,addressingsocialmediaprivacychallenges requiresacombinedeffortfromusers,educators,technology companies, and policymakers. By promoting responsible onlinebehaviorandstrengtheningcybersecurityawareness, it is possible to create safer digital environments where individualscanbenefitfromsocialmediaplatformswithout compromisingtheirprivacyandpersonaldata.

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