To think blocking is childish?

Only unhinged people hate blocking. Can't remember the last time I had to block someone or was blocked, would be years and years, but it's always entirely a personal choice. All the whatabouting and oh buts don't matter. You can't control other people, so stop obsessing about their choices and move on with yours.

I suppose it might also depend in how you use social media. I don't often speak to people on the phone and am even less likely to have been the one initiating the call when I do. I do use FB, but don't use it on my phone and often go a whole day without looking it sometimes a week or more, if I'm away. I'm not on Insta, Twitter/X, Snapchat, Tiktok or anything else. So if someone tried to stalk me on social media, I just might not notice... whereas someone who is on there at points throughout the day and their phone pings with notifications often (I don't have notifications set up,) it would be a lot more intrusive.

I don’t think it is really, ghosting is pathetic and beyond rude/cruel. I would too want to cut off their access for further mind games with me. I don’t blame her for blocking them when ghosted tbh. I’d just do it without a farewell message.

I blocked someone today, someone I have known for many years and who would not take the hint that I do not want to continue a friendship with them that only worked one way. I don’t want a deep and meaningful with them. I just want them to leave me alone. The thing is with tech is that everyone has access to you 24/7 and you therefore need to put blocks in sometimes. Not long ago only good friends knew your phone number or where you live. Now everyone can get to you. It’s not healthy.

Tend to agree.

If its harassment I can understand but some ppl do.it to easily.

Haha I enjoy your message @NeverDropYourMooncup. It really depends on the situation but I just ageee with the OP that people on here use it in ridiculous situations.

From Aquamarines response to me I get the feeling if we were on WhatsApp I would have been added to her blocked mountain already 🤣

Why is it desirable to have some sort of confrontation/formal declaration of ceasing communications? To have the last word like a 21st Century version of 'I banish thee'?

If somebody is done, they're done - no need to make a drama out of it, just disengage fully and completely, no great denouement, no expectation for the other person to humiliate themselves further by asking for contact, only to be refused or ignored, no way of misinterpreting it as playing hard to get or wanting the person to just try harder to get through to them - just block and it's done. The other person knows the blocker has walked away, that the blocker clearly doesn't want them to try to find other ways to get in touch, there's no confusion, mixed messages or potential hope. They know exactly where they stand.

To be fair in an example like this they're clearly the embarrassing ones however the friend and situations I was referring to are more like a bloke will not be interested in her for a bit and ghost her and she sends a message bidding him farewell then blocks, far too extreme!

Blocking my ex was essential for my mental health. Knowing it couldn't be him every time my phone beeped was a life saver for me.

If you've never been in a situation like that you're very fortunate. Judging people who have found themselves in that situation isn't very kind.

Ive blocked a lot of people in my past and was called "childish". Mainly exes.

The last few exes, I've blocked a few hours after the break up. Its for me to try and establish NC and get them out of my head. Sometimes I even deactivate my own SM for a few weeks when going through difficult times.

I dont see it as childish, and even if people do, I dont care, as long as I have my peace.

Happy to look tacky and embarrassing lol!

I’ve blocked my ex and his new girlfriend, they’ve been caught out snooping more than once. Not to mention she likes to harass me online at her big age of 37.

Sometimes blocking is the high road.

Some people are draining/drama lamas/on broadcast only -not the sort you can reason with..sometimes as a last resort blocking is for your own mental health.

@Aquamarine1029 I’ve clearly said harassment is the only acceptable time!

Calm down it’s just a discussion. I don’t ever need to block people tbh, I just explain how I feel and that usually does the job.

I'm on OLD, and I've only blocked a couple. One was demanding to know why I hadn't replied already, even though we'd earlier had a conversation about work being very busy that day. The other turned out to be a mad brexiteer and started getting abusive when I politely said I didn't think we were compatible (though that hadn't been the first suspiscion I'd had about him not being the love of my life.) His reaction ahowed mee I was very much right.

Most of them I just don't bother replying to in the end. In a couple of cases, it meant I accidentally ghosted them - I had meant to get in touch after a couple of days, and then I realised it was a couple of weeks and I hadn't yet, so clearly I wasn't that bothered, and equally, he'd not been in touch to say, "you're quiet, how are you?" or anything, so I assume it was mutual indifference. It amuses me that every few months, one or other of them pops up to say hi, as they're clearly drunk and horny, but most of them don't. I ignore them, while pondering why they would think that after no contact for 8 months, I'll suddenly be delighted to get a message from them. Ignoring them works so far, so they remain unblocked, but I guess if it happened repeatedly and was annoying rather than merely amusing/bemusing, I might block.

Can't think of any friends or relatives I've blocked. There have been a couple of acquaintances I've blocked on Facebook because I just didn't like the stuff they posted. I know I've been unfriended a couple of times as they then appear in the "people you might know" suggestions. And I have been blocked by someone in a FB group, which leads to slightly odd conversation threads, when others reply to something she's said that I can't see, but she blocked a whole load of us as she was going through a challenging time, so it wasn't really about me.

Mostly though, I just don't bother communicating with people who I'm not bothered about. Actually blocking them I'd only do if I felt really annoyed or harassed. Or spam texters/callers.

I block abusive people. If people aren't actually abusive as such but I don't find them people I want much to do with it I just disengage.

I'm too nosey to block people. I don't think I've ever blocked anyone in my life. I'd rather say my piece and have them explain themselves. Then I'd forgive or tell them to f off. I'd only block an abusive person or somebody who was causing me distress with their communications.

Why are you not able to politely decline from seeing them etc until they get the hint?

Who says I'm not able to do that? I certainly never did.

You say "until they get the hint." That's interesting. How long, in your infinite wisdom, should someone continue to tell someone else they no longer wish to communicate until it's acceptable to block someone? Does a person need to endure unwanted communication and harassment for 5 years before they block someone? It is it 10 years? After all, one does want to be polite.

But it’s ok to not have that conversation. If someone treats me like shit, that’s it, I’m done. There’s nothing to discuss.

@Aquamarine1029 and @BlueEyedPeanut I just don’t agree sorry. We’re talking about specific cases/people here. We’re not talking about abuse/harassment.

If someone does something a bit ‘annoying’ or you just don’t like them why aren’t you capable of telling them to their face? Why are you not able to politely decline from seeing them etc until they get the hint? I just find it so immensely childish. It’s playground behaviour.

And yes I’m completely capable of considering how another person would feel and also assertive enough to say how I feel.

Sometimes it's ok to be selfish. Sometimes the person being blocked is so blind to their own behaviour that any explanation would fall on deaf ears. Very, very few people block others without good reason, so the person being blocked might want to sit back and examine why this happened.

This is an important point to make. While I do think some people hit the block button as a bit of a trigger reaction, ultimately no one owes anyone else a relationship. “Because I don’t want to” is a perfectly valid reason to stop communicating with someone.

I think in certain situations it's fine.

I've blocked my toxic AF sister in law and her entire family and feel so much better after years of constant drama. The final straw was hearing about how they would moan about whatever I was doing/posted. After everything else they had done, I was done.

I think if it's over something small and for the peace you could just unfollow or unfriend ( I did this first for years but then I heard about the bitching so enough was enough)

It's also pretty selfish to make someone else's behaviour about you.

Sometimes people just need to think about themselves for once instead of everyone else. Do you consider everyone else before you do anything in case your actions upset them? You'd get nothing done if that is how you live your life.

@BlueEyedPeanut but can’t you see that is so selfish? Why should you leave someone thinking ‘oh well they had there reasons’. There’s a human at the other end of the phone/social media. Why aren’t you able to handle a basic situation enough to give an explanation?