Can you block someone from mentioning you?

Yes, on most social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram you can block someone from mentioning or tagging you in their posts and comments. This prevents that person from directly interacting with you or bringing you into a conversation without your consent.

How to block someone from mentioning you on Twitter

On Twitter, you can block someone from mentioning you by going to their profile page, clicking the three dot menu icon, and selecting “Block @[their username]”. This will prevent them from tagging or mentioning you in tweets and replying directly to your tweets.

You can also preemptively block someone by going to Settings > Privacy and safety > Muted > Muted words and adding keywords like their username, full name, or other identifiers. Twitter will automatically hide any tweets with those words from your view.

When you block someone on Twitter, they will not receive a notification that they have been blocked. They will be able to view your tweets (unless you’ve made your account private) but won’t be able to interact with them. Any tweets that mention you will not show up in your notifications.

How to see who you’ve blocked on Twitter

To view a list of all the accounts you have blocked on Twitter:

Go to your profile icon in the top navigation bar

Select “Settings and privacy”
Choose “Settings”
Select “Privacy and safety”

Go to the “Muted and blocked” section

Here you will see two tabs – one for “Muted” accounts and one for “Blocked” accounts. The blocked tab will show you all users you have blocked from interacting with you.

What happens when you block someone on Twitter

When you block an account on Twitter:

They can no longer tag or mention you in tweets
They are removed from your followers list
You are removed from their followers list

They can’t view your tweets unless your account is public
Direct messages between you are deleted
You won’t receive notifications for their tweets/retweets

In summary, blocking prevents all interaction and contact between you and the blocked user unless you have a public account.

How to block someone from mentioning you on Facebook

On Facebook, you can block a person or Page to prevent them from being able to tag you or mention you in any posts or comments.

To block someone on Facebook:

Go to the profile of the person you want to block
Click on the three dotted “More” button in the top right corner
Select “Block”

Alternatively, you can block someone directly from a post or comment by clicking on the three dots next to their name and selecting “Block”.

When you block someone on Facebook, they will no longer be able to:

Tag you in photos or posts

Mention you or tag you in comments
Invite you to events or groups
Start a conversation with you on Messenger

See things you post on your timeline
Friend request you

You also won’t see any content the blocked person posts or be notified about their activities. However, unlike Twitter, your Facebook blocking is invisible – the blocked person will not know they have been blocked by you.

How to unblock someone on Facebook

If you want to unblock someone on Facebook:

Go to your Facebook Settings
Select “Blocking”

You will see a list of all users and Pages you have blocked
Click on the “Unblock” button next to the person’s name

This will remove the block so that person can interact with you and tag/mention you again.

How to block someone from mentioning you on Instagram

To block a user on Instagram so they can’t tag or mention you:

Go to their profile page
Tap the three dots menu in the top right corner

Select “Block”

You can also block someone from a comment by tapping the comment and selecting “Block [user]”.

When you block an account on Instagram, that user:

Won’t be able to see, like or comment on your posts
Won’t be able to tag you or mention you in comments, captions, Stories, Reels or Live videos
Won’t be able to view your story or reel updates

Won’t be suggested to you by Instagram

You also won’t get any notifications for comments or likes from a blocked account. And you won’t be able to communicate with a blocked user via direct message.

How to unblock someone on Instagram

If you decide to unblock someone on Instagram, here’s how:

Go to your profile
Tap the menu icon (three lines) in the top right corner
Go to “Settings”

Select “Privacy”
Select “Blocked Accounts”
Tap the “Unblock” button next to the user you want to unblock

Unblocking will allow that account to view your profile, posts, stories and mention you again.

Can you prevent being tagged in photos?

In addition to blocking someone, you can take steps across social platforms to prevent being tagged in any photos or posts without your consent:

Facebook: Go to Settings > Timeline and Tagging and disable “Review posts you’re tagged in”. You can also disable tagging in your posts altogether.

Instagram: Go to Settings > Privacy > Posts and disable “Allow Tags from” or “Manual Approval”.
Twitter: Go to Settings > Privacy and Safety > Photo tagging and uncheck “Allow photo tagging”.

With these settings changed, any tags of your username will not be active links to your profile or show up in your profile’s tagged photos section.

What happens if someone mentions you after they are blocked?

If someone mentions or tags you after they have been blocked, here is what will happen on each platform:

Platform	What happens if you’re mentioned after being blocked
Twitter	The mention/tag will not be visible to you or show up in your notifications
Facebook	The mention will be removed and won’t be visible to anyone
Instagram	The mention will not be visible and will be automatically deleted

Essentially, the block prevents you from seeing the unwanted interaction across all major platforms. However, on Facebook and Instagram the person who posted it won’t realize you can’t see their mention, since it is automatically deleted on the backend.

Can you get notified if a blocked person mentions you?

You will not get any notifications if a blocked person mentions, tags or interacts with you in any way on social media. This includes:

Comment notifications
Post and photo tag notifications
Mention notifications

Retweet/reshare notifications

Blocking someone means their activities won’t show up in your notifications tab or feed. The main exception is if you have a public account on Twitter – the blocked person can still view and interact with your tweets but you won’t see it.

Should you notify someone that you blocked them?

There is no requirement to let someone know they have been blocked on social media. However, in some cases it may be worth directly communicating your desire to cease contact before outright blocking them. Reasons you may want to give notice include:

The person is a friend, family member or close acquaintance outside of social media
You think the person may not be aware their behavior was inappropriate
You believe the person may retaliate or escalate the situation

To officially end a romantic relationship
If you have mutual friends and want to avoid unnecessary drama

In these cases, send them a direct message or text explaining you no longer wish to be contacted or mentioned by them online. Then you can block them for your peace of mind.

However, you are under no obligation to explain yourself or provide advance notice to someone exhibiting harassment, spamming, inappropriate advances or toxic behavior on social media. It’s perfectly acceptable to simply block them with no warning.

Should you block someone without telling them?

Here are some situations where blocking without explanation is appropriate:

You are being harassed, threatened or made to feel unsafe

The person is a “troll” who posts inflammatory comments to provoke reactions
They repeatedly spam you with follows/friends/messages after you’ve said you’re not interested
You don’t know them in real life and they are behaving inappropriately online

They are bots or scammers
You have previously asked them to stop contacting you and they haven’t respected that boundary

With users like this, blocking without further engagement is often the safest and most effective approach. You are not obligated to explain yourself or provide feedback.

Best practices for blocking someone

Here are some best practices when blocking a person on social media:

Use blocking proactively rather than reactively. Don’t wait until a situation escalates.
Be consistent and block them across all platforms you use, not just one.

Resist the urge to insult or criticize them prior to blocking. Just quietly block and move on.
Avoid announcing you are going to block them or making a public post about it.
If necessary, tighten up your privacy settings after blocking.

Don’t talk negatively about the person to mutual friends.
Don’t obsess over whether they are trying to mention you after blocking.
If the harassment continues from other accounts, keep blocking.

Report serious threats to the social media platform.

Blocking is simply a tool to prevent unwanted online interaction. Use it judiciously, but don’t second guess yourself once you’ve blocked someone. Maintain your position and continue curating a safe and positive online space.

What to do if blocking doesn’t stop the harassment

If someone continues to harass, stalk or threaten you after you block them on social media, here are some additional steps to take:

Report each abusive account to the platform for violating terms of service. Provide screenshots if you can.
Make your accounts completely private so only approved followers can see activity.
Use keyword blocking to prevent any mentions from showing up.

Change your username/handle to prevent them searching for you.
Turn off your activity status so they can’t see when you’re online.
Block them through your email provider and phone so you see none of their contacts.

Contact the police if you feel unsafe based on specific threats. Get any evidence you have.
Consult a lawyer about pursuing legal action such as a restraining order if the conduct is persistent.

The platforms themselves may be able to detect suspicious behavior if you report multiple accounts run by the same person. But your safety is most important – take whatever steps are necessary to prevent all contact.

Dealing with being blocked by someone else

Being blocked by another user on social media can feel frustrating and confusing, especially if it comes out of the blue. Here are some tips for dealing with it in a positive way:

Respect their decision and don’t try to contact them from other accounts.
Reflect on whether your past behavior may have made them feel uncomfortable.

Ask any mutual connections politely if they know why you were blocked.
Don’t insist those friends reveal private details or try to mediate.
Let go of the situation and focus on other connections who want to engage.

Avoid publically complaining or venting about being blocked.
Remember that social media should be positive – don’t take blocks personally.

Getting blocked is not a reflection of your self-worth – it just means that particular person didn’t want further contact for their own reasons. Accept it gracefully, move on positively, and continue building meaningful connections.

Why would someone block you on social media?

There are a variety of possible reasons someone may have blocked you, including:

An argument or disagreement made them want to cease contact
They considered your attempts to communicate too frequent or intense

You have different values, beliefs or opinions that clash
They are trying to move on from a past romantic relationship
Your sense of humor or online persona didn’t mesh well

They simply wanted to prune their social network for personal reasons
A misunderstanding made them feel harassed or uncomfortable

In many cases, being blocked is not a judgment of your character. Social media blocking has unfortunately become common even between acquaintances. Don’t assume you did something terribly wrong without some confirmation of their motives.

How to get someone to unblock you on social media

If you feel being blocked was unwarranted, you want to resolve the conflict. Here are some tips for getting unblocked:

Give them space for a few weeks then make a thoughtful apology via email or mutual friends to open communication.
Explain honestly how you feel and that blocking seemed an extreme reaction.

Suggest moving forward by keeping interactions strictly professional/platonic.
Ask what exactly you did or shared that made them want to block you.
Promise you’ll adjust your behavior if given another chance.

However, if the block was for harassment or toxicity, you should respect it. Learn from the experience rather than insisting on access to that person again if your apology is ignored. Getting unblocked takes patience, self-awareness and a commitment to meaningful change.

Conclusion

Blocking someone on social media is a simple but effective tool to regain control over your online spaces. While no one likes being blocked, understanding the reasons it happens and the limitations it enforces can help improve your future interactions.

With the right privacy settings and judicious use of blocking and reporting, most negative situations can be de-escalated or eliminated completely. This allows you to focus on building positive relationships with people who bring value to your social media experience.