What Does Shadowbanned Mean on TikTok? And How to Avoid It
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Written by Ivana Kotorchevikj Social Media / TikTok
TikTok is a social media platform that helps you go viral and gain a large number of TikTok followers that like, view and share your videos.
However, as easy as it is to become famous on TikTok, it’s also that much easier for TikTok to limit the reach and views. If you have ever experienced this, it might be the case that you’ve been shadowbanned.
Shadowbanning is not limited to TikTok only - users on other social media platforms have reported seeing their posts getting fewer views. And although Instagram’s CEO Adam Mosseri stated that the platform does not shadowban, the number of people who have seen a drop in their account reach is growing.
What’s even more frustrating is that there’s no bulletproof way to check if you're a victim of a shadowban since there is not much evidence that social media platforms use them.
So, if you suspect that you are being shadowbanned on TikTok, keep on reading to learn what shadowbanned actually means, how to avoid it and how to get un-shadowbanned if you already are.
What is shadowban on TikTok?
Shadowbanning is a secret restriction on an account on TikTok that limits the content of users to show up in other users’ feeds. As a result, the shadowbanned user may stop receiving as many likes, comments, and views on their posts as they did previously, and their content stops performing well.
How to know if you are being shadowbanned on TikTok
If your TikTok account is being shadowbanned, your videos will stop appearing on TikTok's "For You page" (FYP) as frequently as they did before. Also, you will notice a sudden decrease in the reach and engagement for your posts.
But then again, as there is no hard evidence of shadowbanning, you may be losing followers naturally because the quality of your content has decreased.
There’s no need to panic - even if you are being shadowbanned, it doesn’t mean that you are permanently banned. The shadowban is only temporary.
Check out also how to fix the “Too Many Attempts. Try Again Later” error message on TikTok.
Why is TikTok shadowbanning me?
As shadowbanning is not a proven practice, no one knows the real reason why shadowbanning happens.
But one explanation is that the platform shadowbans users who create videos that violate their community guidelines. This refers to content that contains nudity, drugs, hate speech, or even copyrighted music, fake news, and so on.
Also, TikTok may be limiting the reach of content that is considered spam, such as “videos under review, or videos that could be considered upsetting or depict things that may be shocking to a general audience", according to TikTok’s community guidelines.
Finally, TikTok may shadowban content that is in a grey area, meaning moderators don't want to issue a removal or temporary ban, but instead, they shadowban it to limit its reach.
How you can remove your shadowban of TikTok
If your account on TikTok has been shadowbanned, there are several things you can do to help remove it or avoid it in the future.
1. Delete recent videos and uninstall and reinstall TikTok
The first thing you can try is deleting your recent videos. If that doesn’t fix the shadowban, try uninstalling and then reinstalling your TikTok app. Sometimes, the app has a minor glitch and just needs an update to become fully functional again.
Make sure your video doesn’t violate the community guidelines and repost your video again. This should bring back your reach and engagement.
👉 Check out how many accounts you can follow on TikTok.
2. Switch to a Pro account
As we mentioned previously, your account may not be shadowbanned, but it may mean that you need to tweak your content a bit and put more focus on your analytics to monitor results.
Switching to a Pro TikTok account will give you more insight into analytics for your posts and find out how people access your videos. Analytics will help you easily monitor if your engagement has increased or dropped, and it will also enable you to expand your audience.
3. Don’t post and delete content that violates TikTok’s community guidelines
Make sure your videos violate TikTok’s community guidelines. Posting videos that go against them will prolong the shadowban or even get your account permanently deleted.
On TikTok’s Community Guidelines page, you can check out the extensive list of types of prohibited content that might get your account suspended or permanently deleted.
After deleting any inappropriate content, wait for at least two weeks to get the Chadbourne lifted.
4. Avoid spammy behavior
You may be tempted to increase the number of followers by following a large number of people within a short period. But, this kind of behavior may be the reason why your account gets shadowbanned. So, steer clear of any spammy behavior.
5. Post original and creative videos
When TikTok lifts the shadowban from your account, you need to make sure to not get flagged again. If you continue posting the questionable content that got you in trouble in the first place, your account will be censored again.
Make sure you create and post original and innovative videos. Take the time to come up with ideas that will keep your audience engaged. This way, you will avoid violating TikTok’s guidelines and provide your followers with great content.
Find out how to recover your TikTok account if it has been hacked.
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