Hi there. With the intense war unfolding in Israel and Gaza, I bet your social media feed is loaded with photos and videos that can be so very difficult to stomach. From heart-wrenching scenes of hostage situations, beheadings, murders, bombings and other grim realities of war, it's everywhere.

It’s a lot to take, I know. I put together some options to help you stay up to date without seeing images and videos you can’t unsee. I hope it helps you. — Kim

We all want to know what's going on, no doubt. Many of these hard-to-watch social media posts fill the void of official updates and reveal the brutalities of conflict.

But — and this is a big BUT — not everything you see online is the real deal. Some content might be doctored or taken out of context and violate the privacy and human rights of those depicted.

Bottom line: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok aim to keep you glued to the screen and keep you scrolling and seeing these images. If you want to take control of your feeds, I put together this quick list to help you.

Facebook

Don't let videos play automatically.

Learn how to turn off autoplay videos on your iPhone or Android.

Instagram

Adjust your sensitive content settings.

TikTok

"Restricted Mode" limits graphic videos on the For You Page.

YouTube

You can find steps to stop videos from automatically playing here.

X (Twitter)

Find the steps to not see, as well as report, sensitive content here.

Our social feeds can sometimes feel like a relentless barrage of the world's chaos. But remember, while staying informed is vital, your mental well-being is paramount. You have the power to filter, choose and curate what you consume.

If you want to share this with your family and friends, that would be great.

Old war news and fake videos: Unfortunately, they’re everywhere. I’ve got a quick list to help you gut-check whether something is worth sharing.

“Phantom hacker” scams: It’s a new twist on tech support scams — and they work. The FBI says Americans have lost $542 million to such tactics in the first half of this year alone.

Small-biz scam: One of my readers was too smart to fall for this Google scam. Make sure you are, too.

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Thanks for being here. Remember, I only send out Tech Alerts when something big is going on that I want to make sure you know about.

If this would help someone in your life, forward the email or pass along a link to the story above. — Kim