What Is Private Browsing and How Does It Work?

[Smith]

Hi everyone, I keep hearing about private browsing and I want to understand what it actually means—especially when my teen uses it on their phone or laptop. Does private browsing hide what sites someone visits? Are searches and history really not saved? I’m trying to learn how it works so I can talk to my child about online safety and boundaries. Any clear explanations or tips for parents would be really helpful!

 

[Júlia]

Private browsing is a browser feature that prevents your device from saving browsing history, cookies, site data, and form information after you close the window. It works by creating a temporary session that deletes stored data once the session ends. However, it does not hide your activity from websites, your internet service provider (ISP), employer, or school network. It mainly protects privacy on your own device, especially when using shared or public computers.