You can do all the privacy measures in the world, but if the people you talk to are using spyware then it’s all out the window. (literally Windows, get it?)
This video breaks down some of the basic reasons to switch to Linux so you can convince your friends: https://video.simplifiedprivacy.com/why-linux-beats-windows/
Hardware can be an issue, but for sleep and even hibernate I would suggest OpenSUSE, it has not failed me