Why can I still see comments from people I've blocked on social media platforms?

Short answer

Blocking usually means “stop this person from contacting me or looking at my profile,” not “delete every comment they have ever made” [6][8]. That is why a blocked person’s old comments can still show up in public spaces [1][5].

What a block is supposed to do

Blocking is meant to be a strong safety tool: it removes direct interaction, stops the blocked user from viewing profiles, sending messages, or interacting with the blocker’s content [13]. Standard social-media blocks are typically about preventing messages and profile views, not about scrubbing existing public comments [6][8].

Blocking is also often reciprocal, meaning the blocker loses the ability to see the blocked person’s profile and activity [7]. But “often” is not “always” — so on some platforms the block may not hide the other person’s posts or comments from you [1][7].

Real examples where blocked content still shows

• On Reddit, if you block someone, that person’s post and comment section can still be visible [1].
• On Apple’s blocking tools, you can still see blocked caller history and voicemails, and previously you could even access blocked texts through settings [5].
• On Instagram, one user reported being blocked but still seeing the blocker’s comments on their page, even though the blocker’s likes disappeared [3]. One possible explanation is that the likes were deleted; another is that they are still there but hidden from the blocked user’s view [4].

So blocking can hide some interactions while leaving comments in place [3][4].

Mute and block are not the same everywhere

Platforms define these features differently. On Twitter, muting simply hides someone’s tweets, while blocking prevents all interaction [9]. In Second Life, “block” and “mute” are two names for the same function [11]. That means the result — whether you still see comments — can depend heavily on which platform you are using [9][11].

Workarounds and glitches

There are also practical reasons blocked people can reappear. A blocked user can see that they have been blocked and could create another account to work around it [10]. And sometimes the system itself fails: LinkedIn had a blocking glitch that drew attention to how blocking works [12]. A glitch that disables blocking is not just a technical problem — it can be treated as a public safety issue [16]. When blocking and banning tools fail, the safety burden shifts onto vulnerable users [14] and platforms can become hostile environments [15].

Bottom line

There is no single universal reason — the evidence points to several: blocking is not designed to erase all comments [6][8], not every platform applies blocks in both directions [1][7], mute and block may be confused [9][11], people can create new accounts [10], and sometimes blocking simply glitches [12][16].