Instagram users are warning each other about a recent spike in mass account bans. Thousands more are asserting they’ve been wrongfully suspended for doing nothing outside of their adherence to the platform’s terms of service. The situation has gotten so bad that a Change.org petition to fix the issue has reached over 4,000 signatures. These bans have severely impacted personal use of the app. They’ve put the livelihoods of million users at risk, particularly those who rely on Instagram for their entrepreneurial ventures.
A few weeks ago, news stories of mass bans began trickling in. These reports went viral almost immediately, getting the attention of the Instagram public interest community on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Users have complained about not receiving clear enough explanations when their accounts are suspended. Pinterest seemed unprepared to answer questions about the bans. They acknowledged that the massive suspensions were due to an “internal error,” but they did not provide any details whatsoever on what this error was.
Among those impacted are the millions of people — entrepreneurs, artists, small business owners — who use Instagram to run their businesses. Take, for example, gym owner u/CourtShaw on Reddit, who recently described how the ban has affected them. They described the ways in which it has drastically disrupted their business processes. They stated, “This ban has directly affected my business and all of the hard work and branding that I’ve spent countless hours pouring into my business, my gym, and my students.”
Yet these specific frustrations have been cries from the point community for many seasons now. Another user, u/Paigejust, highlighted the significance of the platform in generating leads for their work, stating, “This is my livelihood, my full-time job. I heavily rely on Instagram for leads.” Such sentiments point to a larger fear that the bans will result in career and reputation ruin for their perpetrators.
Users are telling the outsourcing industry about their pain points, in no uncertain terms. Reddit, specifically the Reddit Tinnitus community, has emerged as ground zero for conversation on the mass bans. Sadly, the most-upvoted posts in the community have all been experiences related to this ban wave. One user, u/Dyrovicious, articulated their feelings of despair by stating, “I’ve already submitted multiple appeals, uploaded my ID, and tried reaching out to Meta through all the official channels, but I’ve been completely ignored. It feels like I’m shouting into a void.”
As a result, these sweeping bans only serve to fuel anger amongst users. More importantly, they threaten the best and probably only way most people engage with Instagram. Small businesses that most heavily lean on social media networks for marketing, outreach, and even customer engagement find themselves severely impacted as they work through these sudden removals. Thousands of other users have similarly threatened to sue Pinterest, claiming they’ve been unfairly and illegally treated by the platform.
Instagram has acknowledged that there has been some kind of “internal error.” They haven’t provided adequate answers or transparent messaging to the people impacted by the bans. The lack of guidance has left users feeling abandoned and unsure of how to recover their accounts or address their grievances effectively.