Over the years, there’s been chatter about the way Instagram censors content and limits interactions – and if you’ve been in these conversations, you’ll have heard of ‘shadowbanning’. But, is this practice legit, or just a scare tactic to stop users from running wild on Instagram?
A platform with as much social influence as Instagram has to employ different tactics to keep users safe on the platform (and indemnify themselves against liability), and we’re here to tell you that shadowbans are one of ‘em.
Whether you’ve gotten yourself into a sticky situation or just want to keep your profile safe, knowing how shadowbans work and how to avoid them is very valuable.
There’s no gatekeeping here, Insta-friends – we asked the Plann social media experts to unpack how an Instagram shadowban from start to finish, and they delivered.
What is an Instagram Shadowban?
Shadowbanning is a management tactic used by Instagram (and many other platforms) to limit a user’s discoverability. A shadowban on Instagram means your content may not be as visible – or visible at all – on the Explore feed, under the hashtags you’re using, or even in the Following feed.
The Instagram shadowban has always sparked debate, with users questioning whether it’s fact or fiction. While Instagram once claimed shadowbanning wasn’t real, Adam Mosseri has acknowledged in recent years that the platform does have measures in place to limit or censor ‘inappropriate’ content.
What causes an Instagram Shadowban?
While there’s no exact formula to determine why you’ve been shadowbanned, there are a few missteps that could warrant a slap on the wrist.
Cause 1. You’re violating Instagram’s Community Guidelines
One of the easiest ways to get stung by a shadowban is to go against Instagram’s Community Guidelines, which lay out no-nos for using the platform. They restrict posts that depict or endorse nudity, explicit content, crime, self-injury, or violence.
Violating Instagram’s community guidelines is a surefire way to put yourself at risk of an Instagram shadowban.
The Community Guidelines also denounce hate speech like racist or sexist language, as well as spam. Instagram’s tolerance for spam is pretty low, and for good reason, as the platform is designed to ‘foster meaningful and genuine interactions’. Artificially gaining followers is also a surefire way to set off Instagram’s alarm bells and trigger a shadowban.
Cause 2. You’re overdoing it with the engagement
Love to drop like after like on your friends’ posts? Be careful of going overboard, as too much engagement can actually get you shadowbanned. Instagram has engagement limits that restrict how frequently you can interact with other accounts on both an hourly and daily basis.
- Like limits: 120 per hour or 700 per day.
- Comment limits: 30 per hour or 200 per day.
- Follow limits: 20 per hour or 200 per day.
- Unfollow limits: 60 per hour or 150 per day.
- Direct message limit: 50 to 70 new DMs per day.
If you try to contravene these limits, Instagram is likely to shadowban you.
Cause 3. Your account is being reported regularly
The ‘report’ function on Instagram is intended to keep the platform safe against dangerous or inappropriate content. If you see a post that you think has violated Instagram’s Community Guidelines, you can report it, and the app will review it to determine if it’s safe or needs to be taken down. So, it makes perfect sense that if your content is being reported regularly, you might receive a shadowban.
Cause 4. You’re using banned hashtags
Instagram keeps an ongoing list of banned hashtags that reflect the times and current trends. On this list, you’ll find a range of hashtags, including ones that may have been used to house sexually explicit content, promote unhealthy behavior, or encourage spam. If you regularly use banned hashtags, you may find your content reaches fewer profiles.
How to check if your account has been shadowbanned on Instagram
If you’re noticing your posts aren’t getting traction, you might have been put in a time out by Instagram. Fortunately, there are a few ways to check if your account has been shadowbanned.
Check your account status
Instagram has an Account Status feature that collates information about your behavior on the platform, including posts that violate Community Guidelines. Check your account status by taking these steps:
1. Open the app and navigate to your profile.
2. Click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) at the top right.
3. Scroll down until you see ‘Account Status’ (under ‘More info and support’).
4. Click on ‘Account Status’ to see whether Instagram has taken any actions against your account.
See whether you’ve been the victim of an Instagram shadowban by accessing and reviewing your Account Status.
If you’ve violated Instagram’s Community Guidelines, it will appear here under one of a few categories. For personal accounts, you’ll see ‘Removed content’ (posts you’ve published that the platform has taken down) or ‘Features you can’t use’ (components of Instagram you have been limited from using, such as going live).
Business or creator accounts may also see ‘Content lowered in feed. If you post something that potentially violates the platform’s Community Guidelines to a creator or business account, it’ll be pushed further down users’ Explore and Following feeds by the algorithm. It will then appear in this section with an alert and more information about the problematic content. If your posts are lowered in the feed regularly, this may trigger a shadowban.
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4 ways to avoid being shadowbanned on Instagram
Whether you’re running a business account or just can’t live without the ‘gram, shadowbans suck – so to ensure you don’t face one, stay on your best behavior!
1. Follow Instagram’s Community Guidelines to the letter: They’re there for good reason, so always keep Instagram’s Community Guidelines in mind when you’re posting content or interacting with other users.
2. Be measured in your interactions with other accounts: Ensure your total daily interactions stay within the platform’s limits, and always be kind to others, whether that’s in the comments section or via DM.
3. Stay away from bots and Instagram growth tools: The only way to truly grow on social media is through genuine, organic engagement and building a strong community. Bots that claim to accelerate your likes or following are not only ineffective, but they’re counterintuitive, as they’ll get you put in a time out by Instagram.
4. Create unique content for Instagram instead of repurposing from TikTok: Instagram may also limit the visibility of your content if you’re repurposing it straight from TikTok. This is an immediate red flag for Instagram, as it prioritizes authentic, fresh content. Instead, tweak your video to suit Instagram’s unique algorithm, or if you have to lift and shift, be sure to remove the TikTok watermark.
What to do if you’ve been shadowbanned on Instagram
Realizing you may have been the victim of a shadowban? Don’t worry, it’s not forever – and there are things you can do to get back in Insta’s good books.
- Request a review in Account Status: If you’ve been flagged by Instagram and your violation is detailed in Account Status, you can request a manual review of your behavior. We only recommend this if you’re 100% sure you haven’t done anything wrong, otherwise you may run the risk of being locked out longer, or perhaps even permanently.
- Spring clean your connected apps: Instagram doesn’t like unsupported or spammy apps like unfollow checkers, so if you’re in the naughty corner, this might be why. To see your shadowban lifted sooner, remove all your connected apps and only reconnect platforms that are official Instagram partners. To see which apps you have connected to your Instagram account, follow these steps:
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- Visit your profile.
- Click on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) at top right.
- Find and click ‘Website permissions’.
- Click ‘Apps and websites’.
- Here you’ll see which apps you have active, which have expired, and which you have removed. If you want to remove connected apps, you can do so now by clicking ‘Remove’ next to the app in question.
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- Stay away from banned hashtags: Instead of playing with fire in the form of controversial hashtags, curate a new list of approved, high-performing hashtags to use in your content.
- Hot tip: we’ve got hashtag recommendations built into Plann to take all the work out of this process for you.
- Wait it out: If all else fails, the best thing to do when you’ve been shadowbanned on Instagram is to wait and watch. Still seeing limitations on your content after a month? Consider using the ‘Report a problem’ tool on Instagram by following these steps:
- Visit your profile.
- Click on the hamburger menu at top right.
- Find and click ‘Help’ under ‘More info and support’.
- Click ‘Report a problem’.
- Click ‘Report a problem’ again and follow the on-screen instructions.
Instagram Shadowban: your questions, answered
Does Instagram Shadowban accounts?
Although Instagram has never explicitly owned up to shadowbanning accounts, commentary from Adam Mosseri in the past has indicated that the platform has this system in place. It’s designed to keep people safe by limiting offensive posts or accounts that don’t comply with Instagram’s Community Guidelines.
How long does Instagram Shadowban last?
If you’ve been slapped with a shadowban, you might be wondering how long it’ll last – and the short answer is, we can’t be certain. Reports from users who’ve experienced shadowbans say they could run for between a few days and a few weeks.
Can a shadowban be permanent on Instagram?
Unfortunately, no one really knows whether a shadowban on Instagram can be permanent, especially because the team at IG won’t directly ‘fess up to shadowbans existing! However, most users suggest their bans are lifted within the indicated time frame, and there are very few reports of content being limited for much longer than a month or two.
Why is Instagram not showing my posts to my followers?
There are a few reasons Instagram might be preventing your posts from appearing in your followers’ feeds – including a potential shadowban. However, if things are looking okay in your Account Status section, your visibility may also be reduced because your following isn’t active or contains lots of bots, because you’re posting at the wrong times, or because your content isn’t engaging enough to resonate with your audience.
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