What does a social media background check show?
Short answer: A social media background check shows an employer flagged examples of public content that fall into specific behavior categories, typically harassment, intolerance, threats or violence, illegal activity including drugs, and sexually explicit content. It usually covers the last seven years across the major platforms, and vendors say they strip out protected information like religion or health.
What a social media background check is
It's a review of your public online activity, run by a screening company on behalf of an employer, that looks for specific kinds of behavior. Because the vendor furnishes it to an employer to help decide on hiring, it's a consumer report under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with the same consent and dispute rights as a criminal or credit check.[1][2] See your rights.
What it looks for
Vendors don't hand employers your whole feed. They flag content that falls into published behavior categories. The names vary by vendor, but they overlap heavily:
- Harassment and trolling: insults, bullying, or name-calling aimed at a person.[3]
- Intolerance: prejudice or slurs targeting people for protected characteristics.[3][4]
- Threats and violence.[3][4]
- Illegal activity, including drug use.[4][2]
- Sexually explicit content.[4][2]
Some vendors also let employers add custom keywords for their industry or brand.[5] In Fama's 2025 data, harassment and trolling was the most common flag, followed by intolerance and sexually explicit content.[6] See what Fama flags for one vendor's categories in detail.
What it covers
- Platforms: the major ones, typically Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Reddit, and some vendors add news and web results.[2][7]
- Content types: posts, comments, and shared content, and some vendors say they review likes, images, and video too.[8][7]
- Time: usually the last seven years. See how far back they go.
- Public content only. Compliant vendors don't ask for passwords or get into private accounts.[7]
What it leaves out
Vendors say they remove protected-class information, such as race, religion, or health, from what the employer sees, so it can't factor into a hiring decision.[5] Normal life also isn't the target: sports trash talk, a movie quote, or a drink at a wedding isn't what these categories are built to catch.[3]
Examples
| Rating | Example item | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Facebook comment: "People like you are exactly why this town is going downhill. Do everyone a favor and move." | A direct insult aimed at a specific person (Trolling / Harassment). | |
| Reddit comment: "Somebody keyed my car in the lot at work. When I find out who it was, he's done." | Probably venting, but a vague threat aimed at a real person (Threats). | |
| X post: "That finale absolutely killed me." | Hyperbole and a TV reference. |
Illustrative examples, not from real users.
How to see what yours would show
You can't order an employer's report on yourself before you apply, and after one is run you'll only see it if you ask for your copy. The practical option is to review your own history the same way. PruneSocial scores supported text from your own account exports against these same categories and gives you one fix for each flag. It reads text only, so check your photos yourself. See the methodology for exactly what it can and can't see.
See what your own history looks like
PruneSocial scores supported text activity from your own account exports against publicly documented screening categories and gives you one specific cleanup action for anything flagged. Try a free 50-item preview first.
Start a free previewRelated guides
Sources
- FTC staff closing letter to Social Intelligence Corp., May 9, 2011
- Checkr: Social media search
- Fama: How Fama's online screening solution detects misconduct at work
- Fama: What is an inappropriate social media post?
- Fama: What is social media screening?
- Fama 2025 State of Misconduct at Work report, via HR Technology Wire
- Fama: How does a social media background check work?
- SHRM Vendor Directory: Background Runner social media screening