This week, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced it is scaling back its fact-checking program in favor of "Community Notes" and either strengthening free speech on the platforms (if you ask Mark Zuckerberg) or loosening protections against hate speech (if you're someone who doesn't think it should be OK to suggest being a member of the LGBTQ community is a mental illness). Instagram and Threads will also soon be tossing more political content into your feeds whether you want it or not, a change that is not going over well with some users. Whether you're troubled by these policy changes, or you're just trying to live up to your New Years resolution to stay off Isocial media, there are a few ways to make a break from Meta's offerings. The most obvious is the nuclear option: account deletion. If that sounds too permanent to you, you can also simply deactivate your account, giving you the option to return to it later. Here is what to consider before making the choice, as well as instructions for each option.Before you delete or deactivate your Instagram, download your dataBefore I get into how to deactivate or delete an Instagram, heres some free advice: Download your Instagram data before you do either. You can do this by going to your profile and hitting the three-line menu in the top right (on mobile) or bottom left (on desktop). From there, choose Your activity, scroll all the way to the bottom, and select Download your information. On the next pages, you'll be prompted to select exactly what Meta accounts you want to download from. If you have Facebook or Threads in addition to Instagram, for example, you'll see all of those options. Credit: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham On the next screen, you can choose to download "All available information" (all of your images, comments, etc., but not pictures on other accounts in which you have been tagged), or choose "Some of your information," which will allow you to check off a list of items you want to save. Credit: Screenshot by Joel Cunningham On the next screen, you can choose a date range for your download. (If you want everything, select "All time.") Select "Notify" to choose where you'll receive a download link when your information is ready (you'll have to choose from the addresses previously associated with your account). You can also choose the "Format" for your dataHTML, which will let you view your pictures, posts, etc. offline as they appear on the web version of Instagram; or JSON, which will make it easier to upload the data to a different site.Even if you're just deactivating, it's always good to have a copy of your data, just in case something goes wrong with your accountplus you might want to look back on it while your account is offline (or especially if you delete it). How to deactivate InstagramNow, onto the deactivation. From that same three-line menu you tapped before, choose Accounts Center. Next, youll hit Personal details, then Account ownership and control. Youll see a button for Deactivation or deletion. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/Meta Depending how many other accounts you have linked under your main one, you may see a few options here, just as you did when downloading your data. I, for instance, see my personal Facebook, one of my anon Instagram accounts, and my primary Instagram account. Select the one you want to deactivate. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/Meta Deactivating means that your profile will basically disappear from public view. I know people who do this all the time, only to reinstate their accounts when theyre ready to reengage. When you deactivate, everyone who follows you will have their following count go down by one, but no one will be directly notified that you're the one who deactivated. Once deactivated, your account will no longer be searchable. To everyone else, it will be like you dont existbut you'll be able to log back in at any time and reinstate your account, along with all of your previous posts. If you just want a little break from the app or youre not really sure you want to delete it, this is your best option.How to delete your Instagram accountThe steps for deletion are the same as the steps for deactivation. From that same three-line menu you tapped to download your data, choose Accounts Center. Next, youll hit Personal details, then Account ownership and control. Youll see a button for Deactivation or deletion. It looks like this: Credit: Lindsey Ellefson/Meta Only select "Delete account" from this screen if you are sure you want to zero out the whole account forever. Once you've deleted your account, you can't recover it. Your username will be freed up for someone else to use. Your photos, videos, DMs, saved posts, archived posts, and highlights will all be wiped. There's no coming back. Adios. Farewell. Goodbye to all that, and best wishes for improved mental health (or at least more free time) going forward.