What Is Shadow Banning?

Have you recently noticed a huge drop in social media engagement? Your social media activity doesn’t seem to show up at all… it’s like you don’t even exist!

It might be that you’ve been shadow banned by social media platforms.

Shadow banned accounts are placed into an invisible mode — they become a “shadow” that no one can see except the user.

Worried that you’ve been shadow banned? In this article I’ll explain what shadow banning is, other reasons why your account might have lost momentum, and how to check if you’ve been banned.

Key Takeaways

• Shadow banning is a subtle form of content suppression where your posts become less visible or hidden from others without your knowledge.
• It typically occurs when platforms detect behavior they deem as spammy, abusive, or against their community guidelines.
• The easiest way to see if you’re shadow banned is to check if your account or posts appear in private browsing or on someone else’s account. Monitoring the reach of your posts can also tell you if your account is restricted.
• To avoid shadow banning, ensure you follow platform rules, avoid using banned or repetitive hashtags, and refrain from posting content that could be flagged as inappropriate.
• Regularly engage with your audience in an authentic way to build trust with the platform’s algorithms.
• If you suspect that you’re shadow banned, reviewing and adjusting your content strategy can help restore your visibility.

Table of Contents

• Key Takeaways
• Shadow Banning Defined
• What Sites Use Shadow Bans?
• Twitter Shadow Ban
• Facebook Shadow Ban
• Instagram Shadow Ban
• TikTok Shadow Ban
• Reddit Shadow Ban
• YouTube Shadow Ban
• How to Prevent Being Shadow Banned
• FAQs
• Conclusion

Shadow Banning Defined

Shadow banning is when your social media posts can no longer be viewed by other users. 

You can still access your content, but content is less likely to appear in searches, hashtags, or feeds of other users. Overall, a shadow ban limits the reach of your account.

Social media platforms do this because they’ve identified behavior that is spammy, abusive, or goes against their terms of service. 

“If you think your account is shadow banned, the first port of call is to look for any policy violations. For example, using banned or overused hashtags is an easy way to get your account restricted,” says Kayla Bautista, Social Media Manager at NP Digital.

Other ways you can get a shadow ban include using bots to like and comment on posts, spreading misinformation, or harassing other users.

Respondents to a survey called Posting Into the Void reported four types of shadow bans:

• A username or hashtag not showing up in search suggestions.
• A decrease in follower engagement.
• Blocking certain features (e.g. likes or replies.)
• A temporary ban that reverts to normal after an unspecified time.

The reason why shadow bans are so controversial is that you aren’t notified about them. You often only realize you’ve been shadow banned when you notice a drop in engagement.

Why do platforms do this? If social media users realize they’re banned, they’ll immediately start to look for ways to get around the ban, often by creating a new account. With a shadow ban, they keep posting because they don’t realize a ban is in effect.

According to the Center for Democracy and Technology, one out of ten U.S. social media users believe they have been shadow banned. However, a shadow ban isn’t always to blame for a drop in visibility. Other reasons include:

• A change to the social media algorithm.
• Poor-performing, irrelevant content.
• Technical issues with your account or a platform outage.

There are checks you can do to see if your account is shadow banned – I’ll go into more detail about these later.

What Sites Use Shadow Bans?

Shadow bans have been reported on sites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. 

However, social media platforms deny that they shadow ban. Adam Mosseri, Instagram’s Chief Executive Officer, has gone on record saying that “shadow banning is not a thing.”

While social media platforms may claim not to shadow ban accounts, they do advise that they take action against misleading posts. 

For example, Facebook’s moderation policy states it takes three different actions against problematic content: removing it, reducing its spread, or informing people with additional context.

Reducing the spread of content could be considered shadow banning in this situation.

Twitter Shadow Ban

Twitter (now known as X) has a complicated relationship with shadow banning. In the past, the company claimed it didn’t shadow ban but did “rank tweets and search results” to “address bad-faith actors”.

In 2023, Elon Musk said he would make X a platform of free speech and that users should have the right to know if they have been shadow banned. However, users claim that shadow banning still takes place without their knowledge.

It’s hard to see if you have a Twitter shadow ban, as you have to be logged in to view the platform. The best way is to ask a friend or colleague who uses the platform to check if they can view your account or posts.

However, there is still a chance Twitter is reducing the reach of your posts. The only way to know if this occurs is to pay attention to your engagement. If you see a drastic reduction in impressions, there’s a good chance your reach is limited. 

In most cases, reductions in reach last a few days. Avoid posting content that goes against Twitter’s terms and services, and your metrics should return to normal. 

The best way to avoid a Twitter shadow ban is to show that your account is trustworthy. Confirm your email address, upload a profile picture, and post high-quality, valuable content people want to see. 

Mutes and blocks from poor content can increase the chances of shadow banning.

Facebook Shadow Ban

Earlier I mentioned that Facebook takes three approaches to problematic content – it takes it down, it, reduces its spread, or it provides additional context. If Facebook consistently reduces your content’s reach, that could be considered a shadow ban. 

In some cases, in line with its terms of service,  Facebook will outright ban accounts that share “fake” or “harmful” content.

If you’re worried your personal page, business page, or group might have a Facebook shadow ban, check for a change in engagement levels on your recent posts. If you notice a drop in engagement or impressions, you might be shadow banned. 

The main step to avoid a Facebook shadow ban is to avoid sharing links to fake or misleading information. Independent fact-checking organizations check content for inaccuracies.

Facebook also penalizes links from websites that its algorithm considers clickbait. 

Instagram Shadow Ban

Instagram’s algorithm removes content that goes against its community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, illegal, or that glamorizes self-injury is a no-go. 

Instagram prefers “photos or videos that are appropriate for a diverse audience”, so less family-friendly content could put you at risk of an Instagram shadow ban. 

There’s no surefire way to tell if you’ve been shadow banned on Instagram, but there are a couple of ways to know if it’s happening. 

The first way is to use private browsing (for example, Chrome’s Incognito Mode) on desktop, then search “instagram.com @<your user name>.” If your account shows up in the search results, you likely aren’t shadow banned. 

The second way to see if you have an Instagram shadow ban is to look at your Instagram Insights. If your reach has declined dramatically, you might have a shadow ban. 

Like most social media accounts, most Instagram shadow bans fall away after a few days. Avoid posting content that goes against Instagram’s terms and remove content that might violate the rules. 

TikTok Shadow Ban

While there’s no official mention of the term “shadow ban” in TikTok’s Community Guidelines, like other social media networks, TikTok uses algorithms to rank content. 

If you get on the wrong side of the algorithm, fewer people might see the content you post. Your account is also less likely to show up on the TikTok For You Page. 

TikTok advises that “we remove content – whether posted publicly or privately – when we find that it violates our rules.”

To check if you’ve received a TikTok shadow ban, look at your pageviews and “For You” page statistics. 

You can also use a hashtag in a post, then search for that hashtag. If your post shows up under that hashtag, you aren’t shadow banned. 

To increase your reach on TikTok and avoid penalties, follow best practices for TikTok’s recommendation algorithm and always follow the Community Guidelines.

Stay away from illegal material, violence, hate speech, spam, and other similar topics.

Reddit Shadow Ban

Until 2015, Reddit openly shadow banned users who broke the site’s rules by hiding their posts. This was replaced with an account suspension system, which tells users what they are suspended for, and how long. 

However, some users still claim to receive Reddit shadow bans. According to its official content policy, Reddit may enforce its rules by “removal of privileges from, or adding restrictions to, accounts,” and also by “removal of content.”

To check if you have a Reddit shadow ban, visit the appeal suspension page. If you can submit an appeal, it’s likely that a shadow ban is in place.

You can also make a post in the r/ShadowBan subreddit. A bot will respond, letting you know if you’re shadow banned and if any of your posts have been removed.

Avoiding a Reddit shadow ban is tricky, as the precise rules depend on the subreddit you’re on. For example, some subreddits don’t allow self-promotion, while others do. 

It’s important to read the rules of the subreddit before posting. Many subreddits list their rules in the sidebar on desktop or under “About” on mobile. 

As a general rule of thumb:

• Don’t spam or post too many links to your own content (if you post a lot of other things, posting one or two links to your own work is generally okay.) 
• Don’t harass or constantly downvote another user. 
• Don’t dox others or encourage doxxing (posting someone’s personal information without their consent.)
• Don’t post illegal or inappropriate content. 
• Don’t abuse or block moderators or admins. 

YouTube Shadow Ban

YouTube says it doesn’t shadow ban channels but that it might flag and review some videos before they show up in search.

However, some creators (and their fans) claim shadow bans are still in play. In 2020, PewDiePie’s fans said he wasn’t appearing in searches.

The best way to check for a YouTube shadow ban is to search for your profile in private browsing.

If you’re worried about YouTube shadow bans, make sure you follow the Terms of Service by:

• Avoiding controversial keywords and hashtags.
• Not uploading spammy, harmful, or clickbait content.
• Not spamming other channel’s comment feeds.

How to Prevent Being Shadow Banned

Every social network has its own terms and rules about what type of content is acceptable and what leads to content getting restricted. 

However, there are some general trends worth noting. To avoid being shadow banned, make sure you: 

• Follow and watch power users in your category – see what they share and how they share it. 
• Don’t post links or copy-pasted content over and over again. 
• Don’t create content that makes people mute, block, or report your account.
• Avoid posting about illegal or harmful topics. 
• If you’re unsure if content is appropriate, avoid sharing it. 
• Treat others politely and respectfully. 
• Don’t use banned hashtags – this checker will show you if you plan to use any hashtags banned by Instagram. 
• Increase trust in your account by providing an email address, completing your bio, and uploading a profile photo.

Bautista has some additional advice to keep your account in check: “Focus on creating high-quality, valuable content and avoid using automated tools or bots for engagement. Shadow bans are often temporary, so don’t worry too much!

“Also, don’t rely only on one social media platform as this means you can keep posting even if you get a shadow ban. Diversify your social media presence, follow best practices, and stay up-to-date on platform policies and algorithm changes.”

FAQs

What Is Shadow Banning?

Shadow banning is when a social media platform bans a user’s content from showing up without notifying the user. 

In most cases, the user can still post and respond, but only they see their content.

What Sites Can You Be Shadow Banned On?

Most platforms deny the practice of shadow banning but acknowledge they do have the power to reduce the reach of posts or accounts when users go against the platform’s guidelines. All social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and YouTube have their own set of guidelines and standards to follow.

How Long Does a Shadow Ban Last?

It depends on the social media platform, the severity of the violation, and whether you have received shadow bans before. 

Most shadow bans last from a few days to a few weeks.

How Do I Avoid a Shadow Ban?

Follow the site’s terms of service.

Don’t post spam, links, or hashtags that aren’t allowed.

Don’t post illegal content.

Be kind to others and think before you post. It’s okay to disagree with people, but do it in a respectful and constructive way.

How Do I Fix a Shadow Ban?

The steps to end a shadow ban vary by social media platform. 
For some, you have to wait until the shadow ban is lifted, while others require contacting customer service. You should check the terms of service for the specific platform where you are seeing reduced reach to determine next steps.

Conclusion

Being shadow banned can be frustrating, especially if you don’t feel you deserve it. Luckily in most cases, it’s only temporary.

The best defense against getting shadow banned is to play by the rules of your social media platform of choice. Avoid posting about illegal or controversial topics, respect other users, and keep your account in good standing.My top tip? Take a break from social media marketing for a few days. Sometimes stepping back and not posting can be enough to show the social media platforms that you’re happy to do things the right way.