How to delete your Facebook account

Reasons for deleting or avoiding Facebook now

• Some deleted accounts in direct response to recent policy changes around AI tools and moderation, fearing future misuse of their likeness and looser controls on harmful content.
• Others say deletion is long overdue given past behavior (shadow profiles, past censorship, security issues).
• A few argue the timing is odd: they feel the right time to leave was when Facebook tightened censorship (e.g., around COVID), not now as it claims to loosen it.

Free speech, misinformation, and moderation

• One camp stresses free speech as paramount, warning that censorship can resemble authoritarian controls and should not be replicated in the US.
• Another camp argues misinformation demonstrably causes harm (Iraq, Jan 6, COVID) and that platforms must curb lies and hate.
• Several see the issue as highly subjective and worry about unaccountable corporate gatekeepers deciding “truth.”
• Some propose a “middle ground,” e.g., protecting US users’ speech but limiting foreign state-backed influence.

Meta’s new hate speech / harassment rules

• New guidelines allowing certain insults when tied to gender or sexual orientation (e.g., about mental illness, “weird”) are seen by some as explicitly singling out LGBTQ+ people as fair targets.
• Critics frame this as a rollback of protections, evidence of rising homophobia, and a sign of deeper political alignment.
• Defenders say it’s part of unwinding overreach and that policy teams need time to “open back up.”

Account deletion, recreation, and data control

• Multiple users report that after hard deletion they were later unable to create new accounts, even for legitimate business needs, sometimes after ID requests and with no appeal.
• Others describe being locked out unless they upload passports or phone numbers, with weak or non-existent support.
• Some fear deleting access while Meta still holds their data; others suggest using legal routes (EU rights, CCPA) but experiences are mixed.

Ongoing dependencies and workarounds

• Facebook Marketplace and login integration with gyms/local businesses are major reasons people keep dormant accounts.
• Some create minimally populated or obviously fake profiles solely for Marketplace, effectively “poisoning the well” while exploiting utility.

Psychological and social effects

• Several describe significant mental health benefits from quitting Facebook/Instagram: less depression, less exposure to distorted “reality,” and fewer algorithmic pressures.
• A broader critique: human brains aren’t built to process mass-scale social feeds, making large platforms “cesspits” that amplify the worst of humanity.