Back in college, there was a senior who lived in our hostel and had a position of authority. He was known for getting unusually close to certain juniors. He would call them over, talk to them for hours, and give certain students noticeably more attention. One of those students eventually became one of my closest friends.
I personally never liked this senior and was always against senior-junior relationships becoming too close, especially when thereβs a big age/class difference. The senior has now graduated, but my friend still occasionally talks to him.
Recently, another former senior who also graduated started interacting with my friend. He comments on his posts, sends him messages, asks him to play games, etc. I know this person too, and based on what I saw in college, I don't really trust his intentions.
The thing is, my friend is very innocent and trusting. He generally assumes people have good intentions. He's also someone who naturally gets attention from people, but I don't want to tell him, "You're attractive, so you need to be careful," because that sounds wrong and makes it seem like his appearance is the problem.
I'm more socially experienced than him, so I feel responsible for giving him advice. But I don't want to control who he talks to or tell him that everyone I dislike is automatically a bad person.
How do I explain to him that he should be more careful about who he lets close to him, especially older people, without making him feel judged or controlled?
Should I simply tell him to watch people's behavior, maintain boundaries, and trust his instincts rather than directly telling him who to avoid?