Purpose
Social media is a massive source of information, and it has a growing impact on people’s daily lives. Defining privacy regulations and default practices for protecting people’s data are the most significant difficulties that social media companies face. This study aims to examine the research output on data privacy on social media (DPSM) through an extensive bibliometric analysis. This study condenses several studies into a single paper, which not only offer insights into the global development and advancement of the study field but also establishes a research agenda for the future.

Design/methodology/approach
The objective of this study was to map the research literature on DPSM, covering scientific research indexed on the Scopus for 20 years. The open-source Bibliometrix R-tool was used to carry out the bibliometric analysis.

Findings
The findings of this study indicate an apparent upward trend with China occupying the leading position, while the most productive journal being IEEE Access. The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China is the most influential author. In the context of DPSM, understanding scholarly impact is particularly significant because of the rapidly evolving nature of these fields of study. With the growth of social media platforms and growing apprehensions over data security and privacy, academic research is essential in influencing public opinion, regulations and practices.

Originality/value
The bibliometric studies offer a methodical and numerical framework for evaluating the significance of academic research, assisting scholars, decision-makers and industry professionals in recognizing patterns, key contributors and developing fields of study.