To increase your number of followers on Instagram and expand your reach and audience, you rely heavily on hashtags and interactions. Now, imagine that all your efforts to be seen are silently being suppressed. That’s what shadowbanning on Instagram is all about.

Shadowban refers to a sort of restriction that Instagram puts on accounts that have allegedly violated some of its rules. This means that your content will remain on the platform but will be disabled from being discovered organically, stalling the growth of your account.  

Instagram, for various reasons, actively restricts some of its users’ posts from appearing in people’s feeds or in the hashtags section. The only way for users to see these posts when they have been shadowbanned is to go directly to that profile.

Even if Instagram doesn’t block your account or communicate a warning, there are some signs that you might have fallen under these restrictions. 

How Do I Know If My Account Is Shadowbanned? 

To properly check if you’ve been restricted, you’ll need to take a look at your metrics nevertheless, there are some common signs of shadowban: 

Decreased Number Of Likes And Comments: If your account is being shadowbanned, likes and comments will decrease because fewer people are being exposed to your posts. Instagram puts content in your followers’ feed, but the algorithm does not favor it.

Decrease In Story Views: Like posts, stories will not be displayed among the first in the top section of the feed, even for users who usually interact with your account. 

You’re Not Getting New Followers: Even if you use popular or regular hashtags in your posts, if you’re in the shadows, new followers won’t be able to find you through them. 

Why Is My Account Shadowbanned? 

There are several possible reasons why an account might be shadowbanned. Instagram’s rules can sometimes be tricky, and you may have even violated one of their terms of service policies without being aware of it.

To make sure this doesn’t happen again, let’s look at some actions that could have created this situation.

Someone Reported Your Account: Your account may have repeatedly been an account, so Instagram assumes your posts are inappropriate.

You’ve Been Using Bots To Gain Followers Or Get More Likes: When it comes to bots, Instagram’s algorithm wants to be the only thing in town. Bots to enhance your account engagement are considered to be spammy tactics.

You Have Liked, Posted Or Followed People Very Often: Instagram establishes time restrictions for certain actions, such as following, unfollowing, liking, commenting or posting for daily and hourly periods.

How Can I Fix Or Avoid Getting Shadowbanned?

Don’t Use Broken Or Forbidden Hashtags: Find a list of hashtags that Instagram penalizes and pay attention to the warnings that the platform communicates when posting. 

Report The Issue: Using the Help tool on the app, try reporting this problem. 

Take A Rest: Not using the platform between 48 and 72 hours after you notice the issue can help to get your numbers back on track. 

Although Instagram has not yet confirmed the existence of shadowban, the platform has issued statements warning that content categorized as “inappropriate for our international community” would not appear on Instagram’s Explore Page, even if said content is within the community guidelines.