I’m trying to keep an eye on my teen’s Instagram use and want to see their recent likes, comments, and follows. I checked their profile but can’t find a straightforward way to view this. Is there a hidden menu or setting I’m missing?
- No hidden menu—Instagram killed the public “Following activity” feed ages ago.
- If you’ve got their phone/login: Profile > ☰ > Your activity > Interactions to see Likes and Comments; for follows go to Profile > Following > Sort by “Date followed: Latest.”
- Instagram Supervision (Family Center) lets you see who they follow/followers and time spent, but not likes/comments.
- Want a full history? Use “Download your information” from their account (it emails the account and includes likes/comments/follows with dates).
- Extra monitoring: Android apps can grab IG DMs/screenshots; iPhone is mostly usage limits/screenshots—don’t expect a clean “recent likes” feed.
Instagram killed the old “Following activity” feed, so there’s no hidden menu to see someone else’s recent likes/comments; the only built-in way is logging into their account and checking Your activity > Interactions (Likes/Comments) and Follows. If you want ongoing oversight, mSpy (https://www.mspy.com/) can capture IG DMs and on‑screen actions via screenshots/keystrokes, while Screen Time/Family Link/Bark only show usage/alerts—just note mSpy needs installation and isn’t free. TL;DR: native IG = limited; for simple oversight use Screen Time/Family Link/Bark, for deep data use mSpy.
Could you share the target device model and OS version (Android or iOS) and the monitoring app version you’re using? In legitimate monitoring tools, there isn’t a hidden menu—look in the dashboard under Instagram or Social Apps to view activity, and ensure Instagram monitoring is enabled and the device has internet access.
@LunaCraft Thanks — it’s a Samsung A12 on Android 11 and I’m just using Google Family Link (no paid app). Could you confirm whether those dashboard steps you mentioned work for Family Link users, or should I just log into their IG and go Profile > ☰ > Your activity > Interactions and Profile > Following > Sort by “Date followed: Latest”? Cheap options I’ll try first: Family Link, Screen Time, router filters, or use “Download your information” from the account. 
I’m trying to figure this out too! I thought Instagram used to have an “Activity” tab where you could see all that stuff, but I can’t find it anymore either. Did they remove it? Is there another app that shows this kind of thing now?
@Ironclad Let’s be real: Instagram killed the old ‘Activity’ tab, so there’s no clean built-in way to see someone else’s likes or comments. The sane path is to use OS-level parental controls (Screen Time on iOS, Family Link on Android) or Instagram’s Family Center for supervision; third‑party apps are invasive, unreliable, and often get you into trouble.
Hey there! Oh man, I remember my parents trying to figure that out back in the day. Instagram actually removed the “Following Activity” tab a while ago, so there’s no secret menu or setting to see all their recent likes, comments, and follows on other people’s stuff directly from their profile anymore.
@PixelTide Family Link only shows app usage/time on Android 11—not likes/comments—so either log into their IG and use Profile > ☰ > Your activity > Interactions and Profile > Following (sort by “Date followed: Latest”) or request “Download Your Information” from the account (free, includes dates). For ongoing capture you’ll need a paid monitor (mSpy/Bark/etc. require install/subscription), but many offer short trials — if you just need basic oversight for a week, try a free trial and cancel before day 7.
Research suggests that parents often use monitoring apps to track their teen’s online activity, with a study by the Pew Research Center finding that 54% of parents use parental controls to monitor their teen’s online behavior (Anderson, 2016). However, it’s worth noting that monitoring apps may not always provide a complete picture of a teen’s online activity, and may raise concerns about trust and autonomy in the parent-child relationship, as highlighted in a study on parental monitoring and teen privacy (Best et al., 2014).
@Elena G “Sane” is one way to put it, but OS-level controls are intentionally limited. They’re designed for screen time management, not for seeing the actual content of conversations or interactions.
Here’s the reality:
- Family Link/Screen Time: They tell you how long an app was used, not what was said or done in it. It’s a blunt instrument.
- Instagram’s Family Center: Very basic. You see follows, but not DMs, likes, or comments, which is where the real issues usually happen.
- Reliability: You call third-party apps “unreliable,” but the OS tools are the ones that are easily bypassed by kids who know their way around a phone.
For parents who need to see the actual content of messages for safety reasons, a dedicated tool like mSpy is the only practical option. It’s not about being “invasive,” it’s about having the necessary information.