Notice a sudden drop in your TikTok account lately? You are probably facing the ‘TikTok shadow ban,’ which is the worst thing that could happen to you as a TikToker. Getting shadow-banned from TikTok is a serious problem that can cause you a lot of trouble, especially if you don’t know how to handle it.
But what exactly is a TikTok shadow ban, and how can it be prevented? Getting shadow banned from TikTok could happen for a lot of reasons. To stop that from happening, you need to know everything about the TikTok algorithm and its community guidelines.
This article is the best guide to help you understand everything you need about shadow banning on TikTok. Be with us to figure this out!
What Is The TikTok Shadow Ban?
First, TikTok Shadow Ban is a situation where a user’s content on TikTok is basically invisible to other people. Essentially, the user is ‘shadowed’ or hidden from the TikTok community. This can happen for various reasons, such as violating TikTok’s community guidelines, using inappropriate content, or engaging in behavior that goes against the platform’s rules.
When someone experiences a ‘TikTok Shadow Ban,’ their videos do not appear on the ‘For You’ page, which will stop them from going viral on TikTok. TikTokers must be aware of their content and ensure it does not violate any rules in TikTok’s community guidelines.
Checking TikTok’s terms of service is one of the many ways to help you avoid such a difficult experience on the platform.
Types of TikTok Shadow Ban
First of all, you need to know that there are three types of shadow-banning on TikTok.
- One common type is regular shadowbanning on TikTok. It silently limits your content visibility without any further notification. You won’t appear on the ‘For You’ page, and it lasts for two weeks.
- A Temporary shadowban on TikTok will clear all your notifications for rule violations and being against the TikTok community guidelines. It will restrict your activities and typically lasts 24-48 hours.
- A Permanent Ban is a severe action from TikTok that only happens when you repeatedly violate rules. The ban will be permanent with no possibility of reversal.
What Actions Can Lead You to a TikTok Shadow Ban?
How can I tell if I’m shadowbanned on TikTok? While TikTok doesn’t officially use the term ‘shadowban,’ they may temporarily or permanently ban accounts that repeatedly violate their guidelines. Here are seven reasons why you might be facing a TikTok shadowban:
1. Posting Adult Content
The first reason for getting shadowbanned is posting adult content. TikTok is very sensitive about any kind of adult content, which means anything showing nudity, sexual activity, or pornography is a big NO. Breaking these rules might not only result in a shadowban but could also lead to a permanent ban. So, play it safe and stick to TikTok’s content policy to avoid these consequences.
2. Bullying or Harassment
Nobody approves of bullying or any kind of harassment. TikTok cares about human rights and hates hateful behavior. If your content involves being mean or harassing others, TikTok might decide to hide or limit your posts. To keep things positive and cool, avoid actions that go against TikTok’s community guidelines.
3. Copyright Infringement
One of the most common causes of a TikTok shadow ban is using someone else’s content, music, and more without asking for permission. According to TikTok’s policy, sharing content that doesn’t belong to you is not only against TikTok’s rules but also illegal.
4. By Accident
Not everything is your fault. Sometimes, a shadow ban on TikTok can happen by mistake. Even if you follow all the rules perfectly, TikTok uses its algorithm to enforce the rules, and it might mistakenly flag some topics or videos. This can accidentally lead to a TikTok shadow ban.
5. Spammy Behavior
We all know something about platforms like TikTok, and one thing they all dislike is bots. Sometimes, it’s not just the content of your videos that could put you at risk of getting shadow-banned on TikTok.
Any behavior or activity that could show you’ve been using bots will get your account restricted. Actions like following other accounts non-stop (especially when you’ve just created your account) or uploading new content without any break will get you shadowbanned.
6. Buy TikTok Followers
Even considering buying TikTok followers is a big mistake. Platforms like TikTok hate it when you trick them using fake followers. Actions like that can even result in getting permanently shadowbanned.
7. Not Performing Every Trend
TikTok trends are the exact reason you are making money on TikTok. On the other hand, only some trends follow TikTok’s community guidelines. Before starting any trend on TikTok, the first thing is to check if it violates any of TikTok’s community guidelines.
How to Know Your TikTok Has Been Shadowbanned?
The worst part of getting shadowbanned is that they won’t directly tell you you’ve been banned. So, you might not even realize it’s happened. However, three signs can help you figure it out.
- Uploading Issues: If your videos frequently get stuck in ‘under review’ or ‘processing’ mode, even when your internet connection works just fine, consider it as one of the signs of TikTok Shadowbanning.
- Drop in Likes and Views: Witnessing a sudden and significant drop in likes, views, or shares could strongly indicate that you’ve received a shadowban strike.
- Invisibility Check: If your videos receive 0 views or fail to appear on the ‘For You’ page and in search results, that’s a definite red flag. But keep in mind, if you have just started your account on TikTok, it’s only normal to have zero views and likes. That is the time when you should be patient.
How Long Does a TikTok Shadow Ban Last on TikTok?
When you get shadowbanned on TikTok, it usually lasts about two weeks. You can wait for it to disappear or start fresh with a new account. However, if you repeatedly break TikTok’s rules, your account and your IP address will get permanently shadowbanned.
If you’re shadowbanned, be patient, especially if you have many followers, and stop breaking TikTok rules. If you continue to do so, your ban could become permanent, and you will lose your account.
How to Fix TikTok Shadow Ban?
If your TikTok isn’t working, your account may be shadowbanned Here are some steps you can take to remove a TikTok shadow ban.
1. Remove the Violating Content
When you see any of your content violates the TikTok Community Guidelines, the first step is to remove it from your account. If you’re lucky, TikTok might inform you about the flagged videos, allowing you to identify and remove the content without doubts.
However, you usually won’t receive notifications about the specific video having violating content. In such cases, you need to refer to TikTok’s Community Guidelines to identify and remove the violated video.
2. Reinstall the App
When you’ve removed the violating content from your account, to check if everything is back to normal, try deleting and then reinstalling your app. This will update the app automatically, allowing you to get engagement on your videos again.
3. Act Normal
Avoiding spammy behavior should be your top priority. Platforms like TikTok hate bots, so you’ll lose your account if you act like one. When your shadowban is two weeks out, you’re good to post videos again.
4. Follow TikTok’s Community Guideline
Read TikTok’s community guidelines as much as you can. The more information you have about TikTok’s rules, the less trouble you will get yourself into.
Conclusion
We have explained everything about the TikTok shadow ban. To avoid losing your account on TikTok, all you have to do is follow TikTok’s rules and its community guidelines.
FAQs
If your TikTok video doesn’t get views after 1 hour, there might be two reasons: a glitch or the content is under review. You can try fixing it by clearing your cache or restarting the app.
The first three seconds of your video need to be interesting to grab attention and prevent people from swiping past. It’s crucial because if viewers watch for more than three seconds, the TikTok algorithm will promote your content to more ‘For You’ pages.
