So, imagine waking up, reaching for your phone, opening Instagram… and bam! Your account is disabled.
That dreaded “Your account has been disabled” message can ruin your day in seconds.
You immediately start questioning yourself if you had commented on someone’s page and if they reported your account.
Don’t worry, you probably didn’t.
Instagram doesn’t just give us a clear heads-up, so it’s helpful to know some common reasons this happens and what to watch out for.
- Violating Community Guidelines
Instagram’s community guidelines prohibit explicit content, hate speech promotion, and posts containing nudity, violence, harassment, or spamming. Posts with enough flags can lead to deactivation, so even questionable content should be reviewed for review.
2.Using Third-Party Apps or Bots
Instagram discourages the use of automated apps or bots for inauthentic engagement, viewing it as a shortcut. Its algorithm is designed to detect these tools, and if caught, your account can be disabled without warning. Therefore, organic growth is the best approach, even if it takes longer.
- Too Many Violations in a Short Time
Instagram’s “three strikes, you’re out” policy refers to the process where users are deactivated if they repeatedly violate their account, leading to a “three strikes, you’re out” situation, although this may not always be the case. - Mass Following or Unfollowing
Instagram’s anti-spam system may detect bots if you follow or unfollow hundreds of people in a short time. Excessive liking or commenting on posts is also considered unnatural and triggers the system. To avoid this, maintain a steady pace and avoid excessive actions.
- Being inactive
This means if you have less than 3 post and you’ve not uploaded a post for a long time, Instagram takes it that you are not active and hence deactive your account.
How to avoid being deactivated
The main thing is to keep things authentic. Post genuine content, avoid shortcuts like bots, stick to community guidelines, and take it easy on actions like mass-following. If you do find your account disabled, there’s an appeal process through Instagram’s support, though it can take time.
Need help managing your Instagram strategy? At Social Growth Africa, we specialize in social media management that keeps your accounts healthy and growing.
