How to check if you've been shadowbanned

You’ll need access to an account (or someone with an account) that is not following the account you want to check. Immediately after you post something to Instagram, use this other account to click on the hashtags you used and see if your post appears in the search results for those hashtags.

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Why are you shadowbanned?

You’re not complying with the community guidelines. Instagram takes its community guidelines seriously, so if you’re in breach of them, there’s a good chance you’ll end up penalized by the platform. The community guidelines can be found here so brush up and be sure to stay within them.

You’re buying followers or faking engagement.
Say it with us: buying followers on Instagram isn’t worth it. If Instagram catches on that your followers are bots or spammers, they might not take too kindly to your account. Real, organic growth and genuinely engaged followers are what you want, full stop.


You’re using banned or flagged hashtags.
Certain hashtags have been banned or flagged by Instagram as going against their community guidelines. If you use these hashtags, you’re putting your account in danger by association. New hashtags are getting flagged all the time, so it’s difficult to know for sure which ones to avoid. That’s where Flick’s #1 hashtag tool can help, as it will never suggest banned or flagged hashtags, letting you effortlessly sidestep any that could potentially get you shadowbanned.


You’re using the same hashtags over and over.
If you’re constantly copying and pasting the same block of hashtags over and over (and over), it could be that Instagram thinks you’re being, well, a little bit spammy. Your hashtag strategy should include a way to use relevant hashtags every time. And since your content probably varies a bit, your hashtags should too.

You’re over-engaging.
Is there such a thing as being too gung-ho with the old like button? You bet – if you ramp up your liking and commenting to over-enthusiastic levels, Instagram might assess you as being less-than-genuine in your engagements. To avoid being shadowbanned, keep it real and don’t get too trigger-happy with that double-tapping.