Learn 6 Compelling Reasons to Leave Facebook Behind for Good

Fear that your password and other personal data might accidentally be shared with unauthorized people is just the start of Facebook privacy worries. Although there are plenty of ways to protect your privacy on the site, they aren't all obvious.

If you're young, imagine how those party photos and flip comments could come back to haunt future-you. If you're older, how annoying is it to see your pimply adolescent face reappear on Facebook, thanks to the not-so-magical combo of tags and long-lost classmates.

There are some things you should never post on Facebook. Real-life stalkers are on Facebook, too.

Face it, Facebook can be a major time waste. How much of your life do you want to spend lost in the daily dramas of people you barely know? It's easy to get sucked into reading trivial updates from Facebook friends and checking out people you wish you knew better. Before you know it, the social network owns your personal time clock as well as your privacy. You just may be addicted to Facebook.

Facebook makes clear in its Terms of Service that you are surrendering ownership rights to the intellectual property—your updates and photos—that you upload to your little area of the world's largest social network. Are you comfortable with that?

When it seems like all your Facebook friends are having more fun and leading more exciting lives than you, it may be time to unplug from the social network for a while. Best to take a break before Facebook-induced feelings of social inadequacy spiral out of control.

Worrying about whether to ignore, reject, or accept all those friend requests from people you don't like can be stressful. Compound that with people you do like asking you to answer trivia questions, pass along chain-mail quizzes, attend virtual events, or attend real-life events. The result can be high Facebook anxiety.

Facebook can overwhelm you with trivial facts about what your 750 "friends" supposedly are doing. Try as you might, you can't figure out how to tweak your Facebook news feed to make your daily stream of updates anything less than spam. You may be suffering from Facebook Overload.

Are You Ready to Delete Facebook?

These examples are just a few of the many reasons people decide to take Facebook holidays. Typically, it's about regaining control of their nonvirtual lives. If you aren't sure you are ready to quit entirely, deactivate your account temporarily and see how you feel over the next week or two. You may find you have more free time and are less stressed out than before.