A Pinterest user can search for pins on different topics and save pins that they like onto a ‘board’. People might have several boards for different topics or they may share pins on a ‘group board’ (a collaborative board for users to share ideas). A user can also create ‘secret boards’ to keep private or share with invited friends.
People can ‘follow’ other users and send direct messages on the app. A pin may be an advert. It could also show a product and provide the link to buy that product on a website.
Under 16 accounts are private by default but they can invite people they trust to follow them or collaborate on group boards. There are additional privacy protections by default for under 18s, e.g. other people cannot comment on their pins, and they do not see personalised adverts. These settings can be changed.
There are various safety settings available, such as choosing who can mention a user on Pinterest and whether to auto-play videos. A user can hide comments from other people that contain specific words, turn off targeted adverts and hide their profile from search engines. They can block and report harmful content. Parents can set a passcode to prevent their child changing privacy, data and social settings.
