International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

Social media applications have become an indispensable channel for communication in this contemporary era, while at the same time giving rise to major concerns related to the privacy and security of user information. This paper focuses on the major data privacy issues in popular social media applications: Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X, and TikTok. It examines how these social media applications collect, store, and use personal data, reviewing the existing research on the privacy risks, data misuse, user awareness, and regulatory frameworks like GDPR. The study concludes that despite social media platforms offering various advanced tools to enhance their security, users continue to pose a threat to their privacy because of weak awareness, excessive data sharing, algorithmic tracking, and third-party access.

Mrs.Deepa V, Ms.Vismaya Prasanth,"Data Privacy Concerns in Social Media Applications" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(1): Page(1757-1760) Jan-Feb 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.