TikTok Shadowban: How to Avoid It?
What you will learn
- What is a TikTok shadowban
- How to remove a TikTok shadowban
- How to avoid being shadowbanned on TikTok
- How to get back on track after being shadowbanned on TikTok
What is a TikTok Shadowban?
TikTok shadowbans are temporary restraining measures taken by TikTok that restrict an account’s visibility. It is different from a usual “ban” because you don’t get a notification when it happens, which is why it uses the word “shadow”.
Anyone can have their social media account suspended. Shadowbans are usually imposed when users violate the TikTok Community Guidelines, which prohibit graphic violence, nudity, drugs, hate speech, copyrighted music, or the spread of fake news.
In other words, TikTok decides to do this to put your account on a timeout due to any breaking of their rules – which can negatively impact your growth on the platform.
Your account can also get shadowbanned if people report it many times. Users may notify TikTok that your account should be banned if they think the videos you are posting are offensive to them or others.
What Causes a TikTok Shadowban?
Like every other social media platform, TikTok has a set of rules to follow in order to keep all of its users safe and at peace with each other.
Some of these regulations include the following:
- Minor safety: refers to any content that portrays abuse, exploitation, or endangerment of minors. TikTok considers any person under the age of 18 as a minor
- Dangerous acts and challenges: users are not allowed to post videos that show activities that can lead to severe injuries or even death
- Suicide, self-harm, and disordered eating: TikTok supports people who want to share their personal experiences on these topics but will remove content that encourages these types of behaviors for the safety of users. Additionally, the app has a suicide prevention hotline to contact in case of emergencies
- Adult nudity and sexual activities: these types of videos are forbidden. TikTok is not an app in which you can upload these
- Bullying and harassment: users are not allowed to shame, bully or harass other accounts
- Hateful behavior: refers to comments and attacks on someone else’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and more
- Violent extremism: any threats or violence or even promotion of violence is prohibited
- Integrity and authenticity: spam behavior and fake accounts that cause harm will also be banned
- Illegal activities and regulated goods: content that shows activities that violate laws, such as gambling and assault, will be removed
- Copyright and trademark infringement: TikTok encourages users to create original content. Otherwise, the app will ban your videos
Take a look at the detailed list of rules in the Community Guidelines and see what you should and shouldn’t post to use the app without being shadowbanned
What are the Consequences of being Shadowbanned?
No one wants their account to be shadowbanned, and for a reason – there are consequences to a shadowban.
As we have learned before, when TikTok shadowbans your account, you are not allowed to post new videos for a short period of time. Depending on the severity of what you have posted, this time can extend, and you can even get permanently banned from the platform if you continue to break TikTok’s community rules.
So, besides not being able to use your account, are there any more damages of getting shadowbanned? The answer is yes.
When your account gets shadowbanned, your videos stop appearing on other users’ “For You Page” (known as FYP), and you stop getting the number of likes, views, and comments you used to get. Also, your videos will no longer appear when browsing hashtags. Getting shadowbanned will significantly decrease your reach, as you can see in the image below.
Example of drops in views on videos after getting shadowbanned.
How do I Know If I am Shadowbanned?
If you notice that you are losing followers, you are not getting as many views as you used to get, and the number of likes drops, it might be because TikTok has shadowbanned your account.
It’s not always because of this, but you should check your analytics to make sure. In order to check your analytics, you might have to change your account settings to a Pro Account if you haven’t yet. By doing this, you will be able to track the weekly or monthly performance of your account. Most businesses and influencers on TikTok use Pro accounts, and we strongly recommend you to switch so you can more easily see what works and what doesn’t.
How Long Does a TikTok Shadowban Last?
When TikTok was a new app, shadowbans lasted only 24 hours. But, nowadays, your account can stay banned as long as the app wants. You can even get a permanent shadowban.
If you get shadowbanned once, it is just for a short period of time. But be careful with what you post when you get your account back. Repeating the violations of the Community Guidelines on TikTok will increase the length of your time in the shadowban jail. Your account can be banned for a couple of days or weeks, and if you keep uploading prohibited content, you will get a permanent block, as they state:
“We will temporarily or permanently ban accounts and/or users that are involved in severe or repeated on-platform violations”.
During the first week of the shadowban, you will see a drop in your video views and followers. After a few days, TikTok won’t allow you to enter any tags or even make new videos.
How to Remove a TikTok Shadowban?
We are not going to lie – getting rid of a TikTok shadowban is a challenging task.
You can either accept the shadowban and wait until it ends (in the case of a temporary block) or follow these 4 tips that can help you speed up the process:
1. Delete The Videos That May Violate TikTok’s Rules
The first thing you should do is delete any video you suspect caused the banning. Delete all the content that could be violating TikTok’s rules. After doing so, wait for at least 2 weeks to see if the shadowban is gone. Also, try refreshing the app once in a while to check if your account is unbanned.
2. Reinstall TikTok
Try removing and reinstalling TikTok. It can happen that your account has been banned as a mistake. Once you have checked this is what happened, try reposting your video if it respects the guidelines.
Remove the TikTok app from your phone
3. Take a Break from TikTok
After deleting offensive content and reinstalling the app, take a break from it. Enjoy a few days without having to post something on TikTok in case of a possible shadowban. Also, make sure the app is updated.
4. Post Acceptable Content
When you go back to your routine of posting on TikTok, think about your future posts. You cannot keep posting the same type of videos you posted in the first place because that may be the reason for your shadowbanning.
Take some time to look and analyze new videos before posting them. Are your videos violating any rules? Is your content sending harmful messages? Are you creating original posts? Once you know your videos are safe from breaking any regulations, you are free to post without fear of getting shadowbanned again.
How to Get Back on Track after Getting Shadowbanned?
Take advantage of the time you spend off TikTok to prepare different types of videos that will most definitely help you get back on track. A break from posting does not mean a break creating, here is what you can do in the meantime!
1. Review Your Audience
This is a key factor. Knowing who follows you will help you understand what they expect from your videos. By doing so, your videos will get back on other users’ For You Page, and your previous shadowban will be forgotten.
2. Be Original
Chances are that original videos will be more successful than others who copy their content from other users. Be creative and make videos that no one has ever done before! Doing this will call the attention of other users and can help you get back on track.
3. Create Good Quality Videos
Once you’ve got your brand new content prepared, use video editors to improve the quality of your posts. A powerful video editing tool will make you stand out, and users will appreciate more attractive and pleasant videos rather than a video that has low quality.
4. Avoid Offensive Behaviour
After getting shadowbanned, try having a clean record, and do not interact with people who are most likely to get shadowbanned due to their offensive videos or comments.
If you interact with users who break TikTok’s Community Guidelines, people will immediately associate your account with theirs, and your followers might not like that.
If you want to know more on how to create high quality content to get more TikTok views, we have written a very helpful guide on how to get more views on TikTok that you can check out!
Conclusion
TikTok lets you create and watch very diverse types of content, but, like every other social media, it has rules to follow. Users must respect the rules the platform has set for the community and be conscious about the type of content they are creating, this is essential to keep the peace and safety of people who use TikTok. Ultimately, TikTok is only trying to protect the users so just ensure you’re being mindful of staying far from ambiguous content that could fall within the restrictions. And now that you know what rules you must follow, be prepared and create suitable videos for your account to grow without any issues on the way!
Remember, the shadowbanning can be temporary, but it can also be permanent, and you won’t be able to use your account anymore if you’re not being cautious. In conclusion, be conscious of TikTok’s rule updates, and always check if your content is appropriate before posting it!
I encourage you to try out Creasquare to plan your posts and automate your process, it really makes a difference!
You should be all set for a great start. Check out our other articles here to discover more tips to grow your content creation business!
