Every now and then, I get a friend request from someone I’ve never met—and while some might see this as an opportunity to expand their social circle, I prefer to keep my feed a bit more… familiar. Here’s why I never accept Facebook friend requests from strangers.
1 I Want to Keep My Feed Relevant
For me, Facebook is a place to keep up with friends, family, and the people I actually interact with. Sticking to the people I genuinely know keeps my feed filled with things I care about—updates from close friends, family milestones, and local happenings.
It’s easy for your feed to spiral into a mess of irrelevant content if you start adding strangers, and I’d rather avoid that. I use Facebook to stay in touch with those I already know—not expanding my social network. I have other apps I use for that purpose.
2 I Don’t Want Strangers Digging Into My Old Posts
I’ve been using Facebook for years, and I’ll admit I haven’t exactly gone through my timeline to tidy up old posts. Like most people, I’ve probably shared things that are a bit outdated or cringeworthy by today’s standards. I know I should probably go through and make some posts “Only Me” or just delete them, but life gets busy, and I’ve not been able to do so.
The thought of someone I don’t even know scrolling through my years-old posts irks me and I’d rather not risk it by accepting a stranger’s friend request.
3 Avoiding Awkward Interactions
One of the things I appreciate about Facebook is how it handles direct messages. If I don’t accept a friend request from a stranger, any message they send goes straight to the “Message Requests” folder. It’s tucked away, and I never have to deal with it unless I intentionally choose to check that folder.
However, if I do accept the friend request, things change. Suddenly, that person has direct access to my inbox. They can message me freely, and now I’m stuck dealing with whatever they send. It could be anything from awkward comments to uncomfortable questions, and at that point, it’s harder to ignore or avoid.
4 The Potential for Scams
We all know scams run rampant online, and Facebook is no exception. I’ve seen enough posts from friends who’ve had their accounts hacked or received sketchy messages from “friends” that make me extra cautious. The more strangers I accept as friends on Facebook, the greater the chance of exposing myself to these risks. It’s just not worth it.
Declining stranger requests is the best way I know to keep my account—and my peace of mind—secure.
5 It’s Easier to Stay Genuine
Since I stopped adding strangers on Facebook, I’ve found it easier to just be myself. When I know who’s seeing my posts, I don’t feel the pressure to filter what I share or worry about being judged by someone I barely know.
Of course, there’s still the reality of Facebook’s data collection and usage to consider. I’m not pretending that by keeping strangers out, I can treat Facebook like a personal journal. I still have things I’d rather not share on social media. However, limiting my friend list does mean one less thing to stress about when it comes to oversharing. It gives me a little more peace of mind knowing that the audience for my posts is one I’m comfortable with.
Accepting friend requests from strangers just doesn’t align with how I want to use Facebook. I want my feed relevant, my privacy intact, and my interactions meaningful. Plus, there’s something nice about knowing that the people who see my posts are people I actually know.
