It starts with a single notification. “@User123 requested to follow you.” You look at the profile. You don’t know them. Or maybe you do know them, and that’s exactly why you don’t want them seeing your weekend stories. You hit Delete. Problem solved, right? Wrong. Three days later, the notification pops up again. “@User123 requested to follow you.” You hit Delete again. A week later? They are back.
It is the digital equivalent of someone ringing your doorbell, you opening the door to say “No thank you,” closing it, and them immediately ringing it again. It’s not technically harassment it’s just a “request” but it is incredibly annoying. Instagram, in its infinite wisdom, gives you a very binary choice: Let them in, or keep playing Whac-A-Mole with the “Delete” button until one of you dies. If you have a persistent requester an ex who won’t get the hint, a spam bot that loves you, or a family member who just made an account you need a strategy that actually stops the cycle.
Here is how to stop the requests for good, the settings you need to change, and the psychological trick that works better than blocking.
The “Delete” Trap (Why You Are Making It Worse)
First, you have to understand why hitting “Delete” (the X button) is a tactical error. When you decline a follow request, Instagram doesn’t tell the other person, “Hey, Sarah rejected you.” It just silently resets the button on their end. To them, it looks like the request just “didn’t go through” or “expired.” Or, if they are obsessive, they check your profile, see the button says “Follow” again (instead of “Requested”), and think, “Oh, I must have unticked it by mistake. Let me try again.”
By deleting the request, you are clearing the slot. You are inviting them to try again. You are giving them feedback. Even negative feedback is feedback. It tells them you are active, you saw it, and you reacted. If you want them to stop, you have to stop clearing the slot.
The “Purgatory” Method (The Best Non-Blocking Solution)
This is the smartest way to handle a persistent requester without blocking them (which might cause drama if you know them in real life). Do not delete the request. Just leave it there. Forever.
When you leave a request in “Pending,” a few beautiful things happen:
They cannot request again. The button on their screen is stuck on “Requested.” They can tap it a million times; it won’t send you a new notification. It just sits there, greyed out.
They don’t know if you saw it. Did you reject them? Did you just not check your app? Did you lose your phone? They have no idea.
It silences them. You will never get another notification from this specific account.
I know, I know. Having a little red “1” in your notifications tab drives some of us crazy. We want “Inbox Zero.” But you have to decide what is more annoying: The little red number, or the person requesting you every Tuesday? Let the request sit in Purgatory. It is the ultimate power move. It says, “I am not even acknowledging this enough to say no.”
The “Block Future Accounts” Feature (The Nuclear Option)
If Purgatory isn’t enough maybe they are creating new accounts to request you then you need the heavy artillery. Instagram introduced a feature a few years ago that is a lifesaver for privacy, especially in Europe where digital stalking laws are getting stricter.
When you go to block someone, don’t just tap “Block.” Read the popup. It usually gives you two options:
Block @User123.
Block @User123 and any new accounts they may create.
ALWAYS choose Option 2. This bans their specific device ID and email signature from your profile. If they make User123_V2 or User_Final_Attempt, Instagram’s backend recognizes the device and pre-blocks them. They won’t even be able to find your profile to send the request. This is the only way to stop the “Hydra” problem (where you cut off one head and two more appear).
Preventing Your Account From Being Suggested
Sometimes, the problem isn’t one specific stalker. It’s that random people keep finding you. You have a private account for a reason. You don’t want strangers requesting you. But Instagram’s algorithm is designed to connect people. It tells your contacts, “Hey, Akshay is on Instagram as @AkshaySurat, you should follow him!” If you want to stop random requests, you have to go “Dark Mode.”
You can’t do this from the app. You have to log into Instagram on a web browser (Safari or Chrome).
Go to your Profile.
Click Edit Profile.
Scroll to the bottom.
Uncheck the box that says: “Show account suggestions on profiles.”
When this is checked (and it is on by default), whenever someone follows a person similar to you, Instagram suggests your profile to them. “You followed Sarah? You might also like [Your Name]!” Unchecking this removes you from that carousel. It makes you invisible to people who don’t search for your exact username. This will cut down your random “Stranger Requests” by about 90%.
The “Username Switch” (The Witness Protection Program)
This is extreme, but if you are being targeted by a bot network or a harassment campaign where hundreds of accounts are requesting you daily, it’s your escape hatch. Change your username. But don’t just change it change it to something hard to spell.
If your name is @Sarah_Jones, you are easy to find. If you change it to @Srh_Jns_99_x, you become unsearchable for anyone who doesn’t know the exact string of characters. Combine this with:
Removing your Name from your bio (so people can’t search “Sarah Jones”).
Removing your Profile Picture temporarily (so they can’t visually confirm it’s you).
Do this for 2 weeks. The bots will lose the trail. The stalker will assume you deleted your account. Once the heat dies down, you can switch back (if your old handle hasn’t been taken) or just keep the new incognito identity.
What About “Restricting”?
You will see people online saying, “Just Restrict them!” This does not work for follow requests. Restricting is for people who already follow you. It hides their comments and moves their DMs to the “Request” folder. If someone does not follow you yet, you cannot “Restrict” them. You can only Block or Ignore. Don’t waste time looking for the Restrict button on a stranger’s profile. It’s not there.
The Reality of “Private” Accounts
At the end of the day, having a Private account is a double-edged sword. It gives you control over who sees your photos, but it forces you to be the doorman. Every request is a knock at the door. You cannot turn off the “Request” button entirely. Instagram does not have a “No New Followers Allowed” setting (unless you deactivate). But you can make the door harder to find, and you can ignore the knocking.
Stop hitting Delete. It feels satisfying to clear the notification, but it’s a trap. Let the list pile up. Let them sit in the “Requested” void. Eventually, they will realize that the door isn’t locked it’s just that nobody is home for them. And that is a much louder message than hitting “Decline.”
