Viewing someone’s Facebook story when you did not mean to can be an awkward and embarrassing situation. However, there are a few key things to keep in mind if you find yourself in this scenario:
Does the person whose story you viewed get notified?
No, the person whose Facebook story you accidentally viewed will not get a notification that you viewed their story. Facebook stories function similarly to Instagram stories in this regard – views are anonymous and the person who posted the story cannot see who specifically looked at their story.
So you do not need to worry about the other person finding out you inadvertently saw their story. Unless you tell them directly, they have no way of knowing who viewed their Facebook story.
Are there any consequences for accidentally viewing a story?
Beyond potential embarrassment if the other person finds out, there are no consequences for accidentally viewing someone’s Facebook story. It will not affect your account or relationship with that person on Facebook. You have not broken any rules or done anything wrong.
Accidents happen when scrolling and tapping on mobile apps. Facebook understands this and does not penalize people for unintentional story views. It is a harmless mistake.
Will you keep seeing that person’s stories now?
Viewing someone’s story once does not mean you will automatically continue seeing their stories in your feed. If you do not typically interact with this person on Facebook, their stories likely will not show up in your feed again.
However, if it is someone you frequently interact with, you may see their future stories. But this is dependent on your existing relationship on Facebook, not the accidental view itself.
Should you say something to the person?
In most cases, there is no need to proactively tell the other person you accidentally looked at their story. As covered above, they will not know you viewed it if you don’t say anything.
However, if it was content you feel especially awkward about viewing, it may be worth subtly mentioning to them what happened so they understand it was unintentional if it ever comes up down the road.
Use your best judgment based on your relationship with the person. If you think bringing it up will only make the situation worse, it’s fine to not mention it.
How can you avoid this in the future?
While accidental views will likely happen to everyone at some point, there are a few things you can do to avoid seeing someone’s story unintentionally:
- Be careful when rapidly scrolling through your feed
- Pay attention to preview images so you don’t open stories you didn’t mean to
- Disable auto-play if you don’t want videos starting without clicking
Taking a few precautions can help prevent awkward accidental views in the future.
Can you delete the view from your history?
There is no way to remove an accidental story view from your personal Facebook history. The app does not provide users with a list of who they viewed stories from or an option to delete views.
Once you open a story, that view gets anonymously logged and cannot be erased. But again, the story poster has no way of seeing you viewed their content.
What’s the takeaway from an accidental Facebook story view?
The main takeaways to remember are:
- The other person will not be notified and cannot see you viewed their story.
- You should not face any penalties or consequences on Facebook.
- You may choose to subtly mention it to the person, but that’s optional.
- Be a bit more careful in the future when scrolling and tapping to avoid repeat occurrences.
While accidental views can be embarrassing in the moment, they are quickly forgotten and do not have lasting effects. Do not worry about it too much!
Comparison of potential consequences from accidental story views on different platforms
Here is a comparison of what happens if you accidentally view someone’s story on Facebook vs. Instagram vs. Snapchat:
| Platform | Story Poster Notified? | Any Penalties? | Affect Future Feed? |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | No | No | |
| No | No | Possibly | |
| Snapchat | Yes | No | Possibly |
As you can see, Facebook is the most “forgiving” platform when it comes to accidental story views. On Snapchat, the story poster will know you viewed their content, which could lead to an awkward conversation. And on both Snapchat and Instagram, accidental views may cause more stories from that person to appear in your feed going forward.
So if you are prone to accidental taps, Facebook provides the lowest risk environment where you can rest easy knowing an inadvertent view won’t come back to bite you.
Potential reasons someone may feel anxious about an accidental Facebook story view
Some reasons why accidentally viewing someone’s Facebook story can induce feelings of anxiety and stress include:
- Embarrassment – You saw something that was likely unintended for your eyes
- Fear of social consequences – Worried it might negatively impact your relationship with that person if they find out
- Feeling like you violated a boundary – Viewing content that was meant to be more private
- Awkwardness – Anxiety about encountering the person and not knowing how to act
- Overthinking – Spiraling into what ifs and worst case scenarios
But again – take comfort that these anxieties are largely unwarranted in this scenario. With Facebook stories, you can rest assured the incident will blow over and be forgotten before you know it.
Tips for dealing with anxiety after an accidental Facebook story view
If you find yourself feeling anxious and embarrassed after accidentally viewing someone’s Facebook story, here are some tips that can help:
- Take some deep breaths – Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system and reduces anxiety.
- Talk it out with a friend – Discussing what happened can help provide perspective and reassurance.
- Distract yourself – Find an activity to take your mind off things and refocus.
- Remind yourself it’s not a big deal – The other person will never know and it won’t affect your relationship.
- Avoid overanalyzing – Don’t dwell on improbable worst case scenarios.
- Let time pass – Anxiety naturally decreases as time goes on.
Having an accidental slip up on social media is far more common than you may realize. Be kind to yourself and remember it will blow over before you know it.
Example scenarios of accidental Facebook story views
Here are some example scenarios that demonstrate harmless accidental views:
Vacation story
Your coworker just got back from a dream vacation and posted tons of stories documenting their time. While quickly scrolling through Facebook, you accidentally tap and open a video of them lounging on the beach in their new swimsuit. You immediately close the story, feeling embarrassed about seeing your coworker in a bathing suit.
Night out story
An old friend from high school posted some photos from their night out at the bars over the weekend. You absentmindedly open a story while cooking dinner, only realizing afterward it showed your friend dancing and taking shots. You feel awkward seeing that unintentional glimpse into their night.
Family story
Your partner’s sister posted a bunch of cute stories of her kids playing in the yard. You tap to keep scrolling while cleaning the house, accidentally opening a video of them all chasing each other with water guns soaking wet. You feel like you invaded a private family moment.
In all these cases, the story viewers feel embarrassed but there are no real consequences. The story poster remains unaware, and the incident quickly passes without issue. Be kind to yourself if you end up in a similar accidental viewing scenario.
Advice if you regularly see someone’s stories who you want to avoid
If you consistently find yourself seeing the Facebook stories of someone you would prefer to avoid – such as an ex, someone you don’t get along with, etc. – here are some tips to prevent their stories showing up in your feed:
- Unfollow them – Their public posts and stories won’t appear in your feed.
- Turn off story notifications – This stops notifications informing you when they post a story.
- Temporarily snooze them – Take a 30 day break from seeing their stories in your feed.
- Limit interactions – Don’t react to or comment on their content if possible.
- Post less yourself – Posting less can lower your overall story views.
Staying completely unaware of someone’s activities on Facebook may be difficult if you have overlap in your networks. But using these tips can help you take back some control if their unwanted stories keep popping up.
In conclusion…
Accidentally viewing someone’s Facebook story can be temporarily uncomfortable. But it is not a big deal, and the awkwardness quickly passes. The story poster will not find out you saw their story, and it will not negatively impact your social media experience.
Be mindful when tapping and scrolling, but don’t be too hard on yourself when the occasional slip up inevitably happens. Take a deep breath and know that no real harm was done.
On Facebook, unlike other platforms, you can rest assured your accidental view will remain anonymous. Learn from the mistake, forgive yourself, and move forward. The minor embarrassment will soon be forgotten.