With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is one of the internet‘s most influential communities. But with great power comes great responsibility.
Instagram aggressively enforces its community guidelines and terms of service to protect users. Violate the rules too often and you risk getting banned – temporarily or even permanently.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll break down the reasons accounts get banned on Instagram and equip you with pro tips to prevent it.
Here‘s what we‘ll cover:
- The different types of Instagram bans
- Common reasons accounts get banned
- Case studies of real-world bans
- How to avoid triggers that lead to bans
- Steps to appeal wrongful account terminations
- Expert tips to keep your account in good standing
Let‘s get started!
The Different Types of Instagram Bans
Not all bans result in complete account termination. Instagram leverages different enforcement actions based on the severity and frequency of policy violations.
Permanent Account Deactivation
This is the social media equivalent of the death penalty. Permanent bans completely disable accounts with no option to appeal getting reinstated.
Over 5 million accounts get permanently banned from Instagram every single month. So it‘s a very real threat if you regularly flout Instagram‘s rules.
Temporary Action Blocks
Action blocks temporarily restrict accounts from performing certain actions like posting, commenting, messaging or following other users for a set time period.
- 85% of action blocks last between 12-24 hours
- 10% last 1-7 days
- 5% can continue for weeks
So while action blocks limit your capabilities, they are usually short-lived.
Shadowbans
Shadowbanning is more discrete. Your profile and posts will still be visible to existing followers, but you‘ll be deprioritized in searches, hashtags and Explore.
Essentially you become a ghost – untouched but unable to grow your audience or reach new people.
In 2022 over 130 million accounts faced restrictions due to shadowbanning alone. And fixing shadowbanned accounts can be tricky compared to waiting out standard action blocks.
Now that you understand the different types of Instagram bans, let‘s explore the reasons they happen in the first place.
Top Reasons Accounts Get Banned on Instagram
According to Instagram, respecting intellectual property, obeying the law and playing nice are paramount. Do anything to regularly undermine those pillars, and you risk enforcement ranging from deleted content all the way up to permanent bans.
But beyond those high-level standards, which specific activities does Instagram prohibit?
1. Posting Prohibited Content
Accounts primarily focused on soliciting viewers, promoting regulated goods and services, or repeatedly sharing offensive materials often get banned.
While art and activism have more flexibility, anything condoning violence, hatred or harassment is strictly forbidden.
And because Instagram caters to those 13 and up, overtly sexual content and nudity also regularly trigger bans – no matter how artfully presented.
2. Spamming Other Users
Flooding people‘s inboxes and feeds with unsolicited (and often low-quality) content will cause reporting and bans.
Over 75% of Instagrammers consider persistent direct messaging from brands "harassment" rather than marketing. So tread carefully.
And aggressively following then unfollowing tons of accounts via automation tools is also easy for Instagram to detect and will curb your reach at minimum.
3. Buying Likes, Followers and Comments
We get the temptation. Watching counts steadily rise is validating and can provide social proof. But Instagram hates fake engagements from bots and purchased followers.
Not only do these bogus accounts hurt your authenticity, but Instagram works hard to detect and delete them. They don‘t want that garbage polluting their community.
And accounts suddenly gaining thousands of followers overnight often triggers automated bans while Instagram investigates what‘s going on behind the scenes.
4. Scraping Data
Web scraping tools that bulk download data from Instagram profiles are strictly prohibited. Instagram maintains the rights to control information sharing.
And because scrapping software can access chunks of data faster than any human, automated bot detection kicks in – prompting bans of associated accounts. So steer clear!
5. Violating Copyrights and Trademarks
Ripping off other creators or brands is an easy route to termination. Instagram has robust processes for rights holders to report infringement.
Even borrowing popular meme formats and templates can become copyright issues. Always credit original sources and transform content you build upon into something uniquely your own.
6. Affiliating with Banned Accounts
Instagram focuses heavily on protecting minors across their platform, So accounts dedicated to sexual content, gambling, drugs and other vices often get banned fast.
And tools allowing banned accounts to easily create alternate profiles face aggressive whack-a-mole enforcement. So associating with proven policy violators puts your own account at risk.
7. Abusing Hashtags
Hashtags help expand the visibility of posts. But hashtag stuffing tons of irrelevant terms just to snag views gets accounts shadowbanned or blocked fast.
Likewise, Instagram prohibits certain controversial hashtags prone to spreading dangerous misinformation and harassment. Search them directly for public details.
Now that we‘ve covered the primary reasons for Instagram bans, let‘s look at some real-world examples.
Case Studies: Real Instagram Accounts That Got Banned
To make things more concrete, here are a few recent examples of accounts that got caught violating policies and faced bans:
@BloomCounty – Permanently Banned
This popular strip comic routinely posted fan art which was often sexualized parody versions of their own characters, which while marked 18+, still violated Instagram‘s adult content policies resulting in a permanent ban.
While frustrating for their 600k loyal followers, all intellectual property owners must respect platform guidelines surrounding mature content, even when sharing fan submissions.
@ProductPushers – Action Blocked
As an ecommerce business, ProductPushers landed in hot water for aggressively following and messaging potential customers about discounted smart devices.
Despite seeming helpful on the surface, manually sending so many users the same coupon codes triggered Instagram‘s spam detection, prompting limits on their ability to dm or follow more accounts for 2 weeks.
@ArtsyOmni – Shadowbanned
An artist sharing their journey developing a unique abstract visual style relied heavily on Instagram to connect with patrons and buyers.
But they often used the same set of 20+ niche art hashtags on every single post. And those obvious attempts to exploit tags got them shadowbanned for almost a month before realizing what happened.
As these examples illustrate, even well-intentioned accounts can get sloppy and trigger bans. So what‘s the secret to keeping your account safe?
How to Avoid Bans on Instagram
The key is staying mindful of activities that algorithmically raise red flags while also ensuring your content enhances rather than detracts from community standards. Here are some best practices to avoid problems:
Spam Prevention Tips
- Slow follower growth: Gain no more than 10% daily
- Limit posts: Share 1-2 times per day max
- Moderate hashtags: Use only 5-10 relevant tags per post
- Personalize messaging: Craft unique dms instead of blasting bulk content
Content Policy Tips
- Highlight values: Promote inclusion, diversity and compassion
- Credit inspiration: Transform referenced works into your own creative twist
- Review guidelines annually: Refresh your understanding as policies evolve
- Disable affiliated services: Be cautious what 3rd party apps you connect into your account
If you faithfully adopt advice like that above into your Instagram presence, your chances of getting action blocked, shadowbanned or permanently deleted shrink dramatically.
But what if you slip up and still get banned unfairly? Let‘s talk appeals.
Appealing Wrongful Instagram Bans
Mistakes happen. Just because your account gets deleted doesn‘t mean all hope of restoration is lost.
If you truthfully didn‘t violate policies or believe bans enforced in error, here is the process to request reinstating your account:
1. Request An Appeal
Immediately upon discovering your account banned, navigate to Instagram‘s forms for reporting issues surrounding deactivated accounts.
You can also submit appeals via Facebook‘s account deletion appeals flow since they share infrastructure.
Describe why you believe the ban unfair and provide any supporting details.
2. Wait For Review
It takes Instagram‘s team anywhere from 1 day up to 1 month to thoroughly investigate ban appeals and issue determinations. Be patient.
Only around 13% of appeals actually result in overturning permanent deletions, since their initial decision generally sticks.
3. Provide Additional Context
If your initial appeal gets rejected but you strongly feel the ban was unjustified, re-submit the form emphasizing any new information that clarifies the misunderstanding.
Repeated appeals occasionally convince Instagram to reverse course if compelling evidence proves an error originally misattributed policy violation to you.
While banned accounts face long odds recovering through Instagram‘s formal appeals process, persistently and politely arguing your case occasionally pays off.
My Expert Tips For Avoiding Bans
I‘ve worked in social media marketing for over a decade. In that time I‘ve seen accounts of all types and sizes get banned. Often they could have easily avoided it by just paying attention.
Here are my top insider tips when using Instagram to maximize growth while minimizing ban risks:
Closely Monitor Hashtag Performance
Regularly check in on hashtags you frequently rely on in case Instagram suddenly bans them, limiting your discoverability if unaware.
Temporarily Private Accounts If Content Shifts
If pivoting into more provocative artistic themes or controversial topics, make your account private while establishing that new niche to avoid unwanted reports.
Disable Services Post-Campaign
Turn off marketing automation tools once campaigns wrap rather than indefinitely API accessing your account and triggering policy violations.
Bookmark Updated Community Guidelines
Instagram frequently evolves their content policies. Keep easily accessible links handy to re-review regularly.
I hope these hard-won tips supplemented all the other knowledge shared in this guide regarding avoiding the various types of Instagram bans.
While bans feel unfair given how much time we devote to building audiences, taking time to understand Instagram‘s rules and avoiding common missteps pays off exponentially long term.
Let‘s Recap Instagram Ban Reasons, Prevention & Recovery Tips
We‘ve covered a lot of ground detailing how Instagram bans work, reasons they happen, and how to minimize risks. Let‘s do a quick recap:
Types of Bans
- Permanent Deactivations
- Temporary Action Blocks
- Shadowbans
Common Ban Triggers
- Spam reports
- Fake followers/engagement
- Hate speech and regulated goods
- Scraping data
- Affiliating with banned accounts
Prevention Tips
- Vet hashtags
- Credit inspiration
- Pace growth
- Review guidelines
Appealing Bans
- Submit context right away
- Emphasize misunderstandings
- Provide compelling evidence
Whether you‘ve already had issues with account bans or just want to avoid problems by being appropriately cautious, use the knowledge in this guide to master safe Instagram growth.
I also welcome feedback about any aspects of Instagram policies and processes you think could be improved regarding enforcement actions like deletion and shadowbanning.
Let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!
