Are you seeing your video views and engagement decline on your TikTok videos? You might be dealing with a shadow ban on your account. What’s a shadow ban? It sounds like some wild conspiracy theory, but it’s real.
TikTok offers you the best chance of going viral than other social media platforms. If your content ends up on the “For You Page,” you have a good chance of people seeing it, sending video views into the millions.
While TikTok can be a creator’s ticket to influencer status on social media, it can also be your worst enemy. The TikTok algorithm and team may decide to limit your reach on the platform, instituting a “shadow ban” on your account.
This post discusses why your account might experience a shadow ban and what to do if you feel the platform limits your reach.
What Is a TikTok Shadow Ban?
Shadow banning accounts on TikTok is very different from an outright ban on your account. If you receive a ban on your account, the TikTok team will delete it, giving you notice of its decision. Typically, you’ll receive a ban for violating the terms of service and community guidelines.
A shadow ban is when the TikTok algorithm limits the reach of your account of what you normally receive on the platform. The admin team won’t notify you of the shadow ban, but it’s easy to see if you’re dealing with this issue.
How Do I Know if TikTok Shadowbanned Me?
If TikTok shadow bans your account, you’ll notice that your video views start declining at a rapid rate. You’ll also see a severe reduction in the amount of engagement your receive on your posts. If you’re receiving an average of 100 likes per video and this engagement suddenly slips to 10 to 20 likes, you’re probably dealing with a shadow ban.
A shadow ban results in a sudden and steep decline in all metrics, including views, likes, shares, and comments on your videos. It’s a different experience from gradually losing your audience because they no longer find your content appealing.
Shadow bans on accounts are temporary, and you’re not at risk of losing your account. Shadow banning is not a unique concept to TikTok. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all received allegations of shadow banning users.
When you’re shadowbanned, there’s almost no chance of your content appearing on the “For You Page,” killing your chance of going viral.
Why Did TikTok Shadow Ban My Account?
TikTok and all social media sites that institute shadow bans on accounts won’t admit that they practice this policy. Regardless of the lack of admission of this behavior, these sites institute shadow bans, and thousands of users claim they experienced a shadow ban on their accounts at some time.
So, why does TikTok shadowban accounts? The most common reason for receiving a shadow ban is posting controversial content that’s close to violating the community guidelines and terms of service. Your videos might not specifically violate any of the policies, but it’s skating on thin ice.
If TikTok can’t pinpoint how your content violates these rules, they institute a shadow ban to limit your reach on the platform. For instance, if you’re posting about protests or other sensitive social issues, TikTok may shadowban you for “spreading misinformation.”
How Long Do TikTok Shadowbans Last?
According to reports from users, shadow bans can last two to three weeks. There’s no definite word on the length of a shadow ban because TikTok doesn’t officially admit to implementing the policy. While two to three weeks seems to be the normal timeframe, some accounts claim it’s permanent.
Can You Remove a TikTok Shadowban?
What can you do if TikTok shadow bans your account? Follow these strategies to restore your account to its normal status.
Delete and Reinstall TikTok
The TikTok algorithm or admin team probably has an issue with one of your recent posts. Start by deleting your last two posts and see if that makes a difference.
If you think your posts don’t violate any community guidelines, uninstall the app from your device, download it again and reinstall it.
Switch Your TikTok Account
There’s a chance that TikTok hasn’t shadowbanned your account. Instead, you might be dealing with a problem with your content strategy, causing you to lose followers, views, and engagement on your videos.
Business accounts benefit from an analytics dashboard as part of their creator suite. Switch your personal account to a business profile by following this process.
- Open your TikTok profile.
- Tap the three-line icon in the top right corner of the screen.
- Select Settings and Privacy > Manage account > Switch to Business Account
- Complete the follow-up steps; your personal account will switch to a business profile.
Check Your Content and the TikTok Community Guidelines
The number one reason people receive a shadow ban is for publishing content on their account that violates the terms of service and community guidelines. Review your past post watch count and see where your engagement (views, likes, and comments) start to decline.
Delete the video responsible for the shadow ban, and see if that makes a difference to your views and engagement. It might take two or three weeks for your videos to start gaining momentum and reach the prior level of engagement.
Avoid Spam Behavior on TikTok
It’s common for users to follow as many people as they can each day when growing their accounts. The issue is that the TikTok algorithm views this as ‘spam’ behavior, and it will assume you’re using bot software to manage your account.
How Do I Know if My TikTok Is Banned Permanently?
A shadow ban can cripple your business and growth on TikTok, but it’s temporary. If you find out why you received a shadow ban, you can adjust your content strategy to prevent it from happening again.
Receiving a permanent ban is a different story. Permanent bans make it impossible to recover your TikTok account, and you’re finished on the platform. You’ll have to start a new TikTok with a new email address and profile name.
If you receive a permanent ban, the TikTok team sends you a boilerplate email telling you they’ve deactivated your account for violating the community guidelines and terms of service. The message will not tell you what you did to institute the ban.
Why Does TikTok Permanently Ban Accounts?
TikTok spent $5 million on a legal settlement after supposedly allowing content on its platform to violate the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The admin team banned thousands of accounts in the wake of the lawsuit to prevent further action from the plaintiff.
If you didn’t verify your age when signing up for your TikTok account, there’s a good chance you were banned because of this transgression. Posting content violating the terms and conditions and community guidelines leads to TikTok dropping the ban hammer on your account.
If you suspect the ban is due to not verifying your age, reach out to the TikTok team. They ask you to send a government-issued form of ID to verify your age. If you comply with the request, the team may restore your account.
Wrapping Up – Why Is My TikTok Shadowbanned?
There could be several reasons why TikTok shadow banned your account. Follow the tips in this post to find the cause of the problem and rectify it. It’s a challenging spot to find yourself in. Especially if you rely on TikTok for income.
Most shadow bans are temporary. If you find the source of the problem, give it a few weeks to see if your engagement improves. If not, you might have to review your content strategy and take a different approach to what you post and how you use the platform.
