my activities/badges in garmin connect app?

As for the badges, they have to be enabled at https://connect.garmin.com/app/settings/publicProfile in the section "Show On Profile", and you have to enable Followers for the options "Profile" and "Activities", on the page https://connect.garmin.com/app/settings/privacySettings. You can also change the permissions for all past activities on that page, if desired. And finally, the friends have to actively become your Followers, and that you accept the requests. It is not sufficient that you follow them. 

This is what it looks like in the Garmin Connect app for one of my friends

And this is what it looks like on my Garmin Connect.

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Why can't they see my activities and badges?

9983989 said:

Why can't they see my activities and badges?

Hard to tell. Try contacting the Support. Or make one of your newer activities public, and post the link here. Just to verify whether we can see at least that.