Whether or not a blocked person can comment on your post depends on the social media platform and privacy settings being used. On most major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, blocking someone prevents them from interacting with your posts and account altogether. However, there are some exceptions and nuances to be aware of.
When you block someone on Facebook, they are unable to see or interact with any of your posts, photos, videos or live streams. They also cannot tag you, invite you to events, start a conversation with you in Messenger, add you as a friend or follow you. Essentially it’s as if your account doesn’t exist to them anymore.
So if you block someone on Facebook, they will not be able to comment on, like or react to any new posts you share after blocking them. They also lose the ability to interact with or comment on your past public posts that were available to them prior to being blocked.
However, any comments or reactions made by a user before they were blocked will remain visible. You cannot retroactively remove their old interactions. But they are unable to add any new ones once blocked.
Facebook Blocking and Privacy Settings
Your privacy settings can also impact the ability for a blocked person to interact with your content:
- Public posts – A blocked person will not see public posts at all and cannot interact.
- Friends only posts – Blocked users cannot see or interact with these as they are no longer considered a “friend.”
- Posts in closed or private groups – Whether a blocked person can see your posts here depends on if they are still a member of the group. They cannot interact regardless.
- Your Facebook page – Blocking does not prevent someone from viewing or interacting with a Facebook page you manage. Pages are considered public entities.
So in summary, a blocked Facebook user cannot comment or interact with any new or past posts shared to your personal Facebook profile. The only trace of them will be any older comments made prior to blocking.
Instagram has similar functionality to Facebook when it comes to blocking other accounts. Once you block someone:
- They are unable to view, like or comment on your posts.
- They cannot tag you or view your feed, followers/following lists, stories or highlights.
- You will no longer see their messages in your inbox or receive new messages/calls from them.
- Any previous likes or comments they made will remain, but they cannot interact with any new content.
So on Instagram as well, a blocked person will not have access to comment on or engage with any new or existing posts in your feed or stories. The only remnants will be older comments prior to blocking.
Instagram Blocking Considerations
Here are some additional points about Instagram blocking:
- Blocking someone only prevents their main Instagram account from viewing your profile or posts. If they have secondary accounts, they could potentially still access your content.
- You can block someone from interacting with your Instagram Live streams. But they can still view the broadcast unless your account is set to private.
- Instagram’s Close Friends feature allows sharing stories with a select group. Blocked users will not have access to Close Friends content.
- Blocking does not restrict someone from viewing or interacting with a public Instagram business profile you manage.
On Twitter, blocking prevents a user from:
- Viewing your tweets
- Searching for your tweets
- Seeing your follower/following lists or “likes”
- DMing you
- Tagging or mentioning you in tweets
So as with Facebook and Instagram, a blocked Twitter user cannot reply to, like, retweet or otherwise engage with any new tweets you post after blocking them.
However, the major difference compared to other platforms is that previous tweets and interactions remain fully visible to blocked accounts on Twitter by default. For example, a blocked person can continue seeing and replying to old tweets that were public prior to blocking.
Twitter Blocking Options
Due to this functionality, Twitter gives you a few added blocking options:
- Block and Report – Prevents new interactions and also flags the account for review in case of harassment/abuse.
- Mute – Basically a softer version of block where they can still see and reply but you don’t see their content in feeds/notifications.
- Block and Silence – Blocks them AND retroactively removes you from their view and notifications.
With the Block and Silence function, previous tweets mentioning you will be hidden from the blocked person’s view. So this gives you the ability to completely cut off contact on old tweets as well new ones.
Other Social Platforms
Here is an overview of how blocking works on some other major social media sites:
- Blocks viewing your full profile, posting on your feed, messaging you, etc.
- Previous comments remain visible.
- They can still find your limited public profile in searches.
TikTok
- Prevents viewing your videos, commenting, messaging, etc.
- Previous comments remain visible.
- Blocking is “silent” so they won’t know they are blocked.
- Blocks them from your account and boards.
- They can still repin public pins from before blocking.
- Previous comments remain visible.
Snapchat
- Stops snaps, chats, interactions, viewing stories.
- Entirely removes you from their view and deletes chat history.
- Very limited public profile so essentially invisible after blocking.
YouTube
- Stops any new comments, messages, post interactions.
- Old comments remain visible.
- Creators can hide specific comments from blocked users if they want.
Conclusion
In summary, blocking someone on most social media platforms prevents them from interacting with any of your new posts after the time of blocking. Previous comments generally remain visible, except in some cases like Snapchat where history can be erased.
The main exception is Twitter, where blocked people can still view and reply to public tweets that were available prior to blocking unless you utilize the Block and Silence option. So for full protection on Twitter, you need to take the extra step of retroactively removing yourself from the blocked person’s view and notifications.
While blocking does limit contact, the only way to fully remove yourself from a blocked person’s view across all old and new content is to either switch to a private account they cannot access, or deactivate your account altogether. But in most cases, standard blocking should be sufficient to restrict any unwanted new interactions.
Other Questions Related to Social Media Blocking
Can someone tell if you blocked them on social media?
On most sites like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, blocking happens behind the scenes, so the user is not informed or notified that they have been blocked. The content simply becomes inaccessible to them. However, the lack of access may signal to a blocked person that something is amiss. And on certain platforms like Twitter, it is more apparent that a block has occurred.
What happens when you unblock someone?
When you unblock a user, things essentially revert back to the state before the block. They are able to view your profile, posts, stories and other content again going forward. Interactions with past posts will be restored. And the user will generally not be notified if you unblock them, as it happens silently behind the scenes.
Can you see a post if you block the original poster?
If someone else shares or interacts with a post from a person you have blocked, you typically can still see the post in that limited context, even if you have the original poster blocked. For example, if a friend likes or comments on the blocked person’s post, that may still be visible in your feeds or notifications related to your friend. But you could not navigate directly to view the blocked user’s full profile or post itself.
Is blocking on social media effective?
Blocking can be effective at accomplishing limited goals like preventing unwanted direct contact, messages, tagging and interactions. However, it has limitations and does not completely remove a person’s presence or activity from all areas of a social platform. Additional actions like changing account settings, leaving shared networks, and monitoring secondary accounts may be required in cases of severe harassment.
Can a blocked user tell you blocked them by creating a new account?
A blocked person could potentially use a secondary account to view your profile and attempt to determine if they have been blocked. If they are no longer able to see your activity or interact with your account using the secondary profile, that likely signals that their main account has been blocked. However, there are other potential reasons for loss of access like privacy setting changes. So it may be unclear in some cases.
Trying to circumvent a block by accessing someone’s account or content via an alternate profile is problematic in itself, and may be considered harassment. Most sites have mechanisms to report such violations of their policies.
Is it rude to block someone without explanation?
Blocking is generally intended to protect one’s privacy and prevent unwelcome interactions. While an explanation is not always required or appropriate, if the blocked person was a friend or close contact, it may be courteous to provide notice or context for the block. This allows them clarity on the change in the relationship status. However, if the block is due to circumstances like harassment, a warning could exacerbate the situation, so it is reasonable to block preemptively.
Can someone block you for no reason?
Yes, you can be blocked by another user at any time for potentially any reason, or no stated reason at all. Social platforms allow users to block others at their sole discretion. There is no requirement of justification. Some common motivations for blocking include cutting off contact after a disagreement, preventing harassment, and removing an ex after a breakup. But blocks may also occur randomly or accidentally. There is no obligation to reveal the blocking or reasoning behind it.
Should you tell someone you are going to block them?
Notifying the person before blocking them can be situational. If they are engaging in harassment or abuse, a warning could enable further unwanted behavior. But in cases like ending a friendship, it may be polite to briefly explain your intentions, offer closure, and give them a chance to respond before blocking. This prevents confusion and preserves goodwill between parties. However, there is no obligation to preemptively announce a block.
Conclusion
In summary, blocking on most major social platforms prevents new engagement and interaction but leaves past history intact. Twitter offers more robust blocking options to limit contact retroactively as well. While blocking provides control over one’s social media presence and connections, additional privacy settings, account modifications or leaving shared networks may also be necessary to fully sever contact with a blocked user. But in many cases, simply blocking new interactions is sufficient.