This advice may surprise you: immediately remove your birthdate from all social media sites. Here’s why:

1. Providing your birthdate can make you the target for identity theft, phishing scams, and other malicious attacks.
2. Providing your birthdate makes it easier for hackers to access your financial records.
3. Advertisers often use your birthdate to target you with unsolicited ads and text messages.
4. Providing your birthdate can open you up to the possibility of age discrimination from employers and other service providers.
5. Your birthdate is non-essential information that really has no real benefit to you and marketing efforts.

Some sites will want to know that you’re over the age of 18 or 21. If that’s the case make up a date. Unless the site is something like a medical portal, most internet providers and companies have no need to access your birthdate. They may want it to sell to other sites and market to you—don’t let them have it!