Being put in Facebook jail is super annoying. But for businesses that use social media, your account being blocked or suspended has serious consequences for your brand’s reputation. Having your professional social media account banned isn’t always the end of the world. Social media platforms occasionally make errors, but most violations can be disputed with the appropriate supporting evidence. But there are some offenses from which there is just no coming back.
Social media platforms are fairly clear on what is and isn’t allowed to be posted in their communities. So, it’s wise to read up on the most popular community guidelines to avoid account suspension.
If you want to avoid suspending your business’ social media account, you must play by the rules. Let’s talk about five of the most popular social media platforms for businesses, their community guidelines, why you might be suspended, how long your account will be banned, and how to avoid going to social media jail.
Facebook Jail and Being Locked Up
Facebook is a great tool for brands that want to grow their audience, get more views on live sales, and build relationships with customers. However, being locked up on Facebook can alter everything. If you use your account to promote and sell products, Facebook account suspension is not ideal.
Their algorithms are so powerful that even their AI face recognition software boasts 97% accuracy. But, the same algorithms that make Facebook marketing effective are those that weed out community guidelines violations and other activities that can land you in the virtual slammer.
Reasons for Facebook Suspension
There are several reasons your Facebook business account could be suspended:
- Posting nude photos or provocative posts.
- Hate speech, harassment, and personal attacks in comments, messages, or posts
- Spammy messages, links, and behavior.
- Sending too many friend requests in one day.
- Sending too many group requests in one day.
- Plagiarized content.
- Fraudulent or suspicious payment activity.
- Being logged in to several accounts on the same device.
Types of Facebook Suspension
If you violate one of Facebook’s rules of engagement, then two types of Facebook bans could happen to your page:
- Temporary block. You might have to wait between one and thirty days before accessing Facebook again.
- Permanent block. If you continually violate community standards, then Facebook could delete your account permanently, and you’ll never be able to access that page again.
How To Avoid Going to Facebook Jail
- Don’t post anything with nudity or that is sexually inappropriate.
- Avoid engaging in arguments, and be mindful of how you speak to others on the app.
- Do not use hate speech.
- Avoid sending bulk messages to countless accounts at once, and don’t send too many requests simultaneously.
- Only post original content or UGC (user-generated content) that you have permission to use.
Instagram Suspension
Instagram is another popular platform for businesses that want to improve their online presence. Instagram also offers great tools for sellers, like in-app shopping, reels, and Instagram Live. But Instagram also reserves the right to suspend your account if they think your actions violate their community rules.
If your professional Instagram account is disabled, you’ll receive a message the next time you try to log into the app. Of course, you can appeal the suspension, and Instagram makes it simple to get in touch with them to request a review of the decision to close your account. But it’s better to avoid getting thrown into Instagram jail in the first place.
Reasons for Instagram Suspension
Instagram reserves the right to suspend accounts that violate their community standards:
- Posting sexual content.
- Sharing or encouraging violence against other users.
- Using content under copyright.
- Boosting engagement with bots that can like, comment, and share on behalf of your account.
- Buying followers.
- If another user reports your account or content.
- Using numerous IP addresses to log into your account.
- Performing too many actions in quick succession.
Types of Instagram Suspension
If you accidentally break one of Instagram’s rules, your business profile might be temporarily blocked or permanently disabled.
- Temporary block: Your Instagram account could be blocked for 24–48 hours, but this will be extended if you continue to violate the rules.
- Account disabled: Instagram accounts can be disabled if you continuously violate the community guidelines or engage in a serious offense like threatening violence against another user.
How To Avoid Going to Instagram Jail
- Share content that you own or have permission to use.
- Post appropriate content without vulgarity or nudity.
- Nurture your audiences with genuine interactions.
- Follow the laws of the land.
- Be respectful of other users’ life experiences, backgrounds, cultures, and opinions.
YouTube Account Suspension
YouTube is one of the most popular and long-standing platforms that businesses use to promote and sell their brands. The power of video and YouTube Shorts is one of the main reasons for their success. Videos allow customers to relate to your company by showing them what your brand’s world is all about.
But it’s not just video that sells. Live streaming also helps build relationships, and having a YouTube account makes it easy to share videos and streaming events across all other social media platforms, regardless of where your customers hang out online. However, all of those advantages vanish if your channel is suspended.
Reasons for YouTube Suspension
The YouTube channel you use to promote your brand can be banned for various reasons, including:
- Posting video content that depicts abuse and violence.
- Using the platform to share pornographic content.
- Engaging in predatory behavior, sexually or non-sexually (spam).
- Uploading content that includes hate speech or harassment.
- Impersonating another person, user, or account.
- Copyright infringement violations.
Types of YouTube Suspensions
YouTube account suspension works slightly differently than the other platforms on this list. Instead of offering a temporary or permanent block, they manage their community with a strike system:
- Warning: The first time an account violates one of YouTube’s policies, they are issued a warning that stays on the channel for as long as the account is open. However, severe offenses could result in your channel being terminated without warning.
- First Strike: You will receive a strike if your account violates the rules again. After the first strike, you won’t be able to change, upload, or schedule new content on your channel. After one week, privileges are restored, but the first strike stays on your account for 90 days.
- Second Strike: If you receive a second strike before the first strike falls off after the 90-day period, then your channel will be frozen for two weeks and will remain on your account for 90 days.
- Third Strike: Lastly, your channel will be permanently deleted from YouTube if you receive a third strike within the 90-day window.
TikTok Account Suspension
TikTok has brought all the best things about reels, shorts, and stories into one high-energy platform with excellent reach potential for brands. Whether you’re selling on TikTok or using TikTok to reach customers, it is extremely effective and fun for both brands and customers. But TikTok is known for shadow-banning accounts, limiting their reach, and restricting account access for many reasons.
Reasons for TikTok Account Suspension
Here are some reasons why your TikTok account might be suspended:
- Putting minors in danger or showing minors being abused.
- Participating in dangerous challenges.
- Talking about suicide, self-harm, or disordered eating on the app.
- Posting nudity or sexual activity.
- Bullying or harassing other users or people IRL (in real life).
- Promoting violent extremism.
- Impersonating someone else.
- Sharing graphic content.
- Copyright infringement violations.
Types of TikTok Account Suspension
- Shadow ban: Although TikTok claims that shadow banning is not a part of the algorithm, several users report being shadow-banned for sharing various types of content. If you’ve been shadow-banned, try posting different content to see if the algorithm will put you on more ‘For You Pages’ (FYPs).
- Content removal: Content such as videos, links, images, audio, and live streams will be removed if they violate TikTok’s community guidelines. These decisions can be appealed, and the content can be restored.
- Temporary ban: You could get a temporary ban if you keep posting content that goes against the app’s community standards. However, depending on the severity, even one inappropriate post can result in your account being temporarily banned.
- Permanent ban: Threatening real-world violence or repeating serious violations may result in a permanent ban. TikTok also considers actions and posts on other platforms and actions that happen in real life.
How to Avoid TikTok Suspension
- Post content that is uplifting, fun, or informative.
- Don’t post anything vulgar or provocative.
- Leave minors out of it if you can.
- Be mindful of your actions on other platforms.
- Be authentic.
Pinterest Suspension
Another great place to influence customers and promote your brand is Pinterest. This platform was built to share creative ideas, so it’s the perfect place for users to learn about new products to enhance their lifestyle.
But Pinterest holds content creators to a high standard. Not only do posts have to follow their posting formats, but they also have to follow the app’s community guidelines.
Reasons for Pinterest Suspension
There are several reasons why Pinterest may choose to suspend or ban an account:
- Hateful activities, including hate speech.
- Sharing adult content.
- Sharing sexual content involving minors.
- Harassing other users.
- Sharing misinformation.
- Spamming the feed with multiple posts or messaging users inappropriately.
- Plagiarizing intellectual property.
- Copyright infringement.
- Exploiting users or people IRL.
- Promoting violence.
- Selling dangerous goods and services.
Types of Pinterest Suspension
- There are two types of Pinterest account suspension:
- Blocked account: If your Pinterest account is blocked, you will still have access to your account, and other users will still be able to see your content. However, all of your links will be broken.
- Account suspension: If your account becomes permanently suspended, your pins will remain active and your links will stay intact, but you will not have any access to your account in the future.
How To Avoid Pinterest Account Suspension
- Don’t post anything with sexual content.
- Don’t post anything that involves violence against adults, children, or animals.
- Do not engage in harassment or bullying.
- Avoid spreading misinformation wherever possible.
- Only promote legit products and services.
Wrapping Up
Social media platforms are one of many tools that help businesses sell, build relationships with customers, improve their reach, and grow their brand. However, posting inappropriate content that violates community standards can cause your professional social media accounts to be blocked, banned, and suspended. Companies need to know each platform’s community rules so that their accounts don’t get blocked temporarily or permanently.
As a general rule, brands on social media should avoid posting hateful, violent, and sexual content, but brands should also focus on their authenticity to avoid being banned. Fraudulent accounts, stealing content from other brands, and doing things in real life that people don’t like can all get your account locked.
Whether you sell on social media or use it to market your brand, if you want to keep your accounts active, follow the community guidelines, be respectful of others, and use your brand as a platform to uplift and not condemn.
About the Author:
Magnus Eriksen is a copywriter and an eCommerce SEO specialist with a degree in Marketing and Brand Management. Before he became a copywriter, he worked as a content writer for digital marketing companies like Synlighet AS and Omega Media, where he learned how to do both on-page and technical SEO.
