What is TikTok Shadowban and how do I get Rid of It?

When you speak of fame on social media, TikTok has a reputation of being a platform where you can reach that height in a relatively short time. However, that could come with several challenges, including the dreaded TikTok shadowban.

But is shadowban real? How do you get shadowbanned on TikTok? And how do you get out of it?

In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about shadowban on TikTok and how to protect your account from being affected.

What is shadowban on TikTok?

Generally, a shadowban happens on most social media platforms. It is an unofficial name that refers to a situation where a social media account is banned temporarily from reaching more audiences and viewers on the platform. It is usually accompanied by reduced engagements and impressions on posts made.

Shadowban on TikTok refers to a situation when your TikTok account gets restricted and its visibility reduced due to a temporary ban from TikTok. Usually, there is no formal notification from TikTok informing you about this change, notifications are only received when your content is flagged. It becomes difficult to find your posts on TikTok once your account is shadowbanned and your posts suddenly disappear on TikTok’s “For You” page.

However, despite complaints and observations from content creators, TikTok does not use the term “shadowban” in its official document and claims to only remove content that violates their rules.

How do you get shadowban on TikTok?

Regardless of the claims from TikTok and its refusal to admit it in words, some evidences prove that accounts experience a shadowban on TikTok for some reasons. These include:

Violation of TikTok’s Community Guidelines

For every social media platform, some guidelines direct the operations and activities of users on the platform. As for TikTok, this guideline includes its stance and punishment for accounts involved in creating and posting content relating to nudity, drugs, graphic violence, hate speech and so on. Violating these guidelines could attract a temporary or permanent ban on your account.

Spamming

Another reason your account might experience a shadowban is spamming or exhibiting behaviours relating to spamming. It is normal to be excited to create new content for your TikTok viewers and spamming is one bad way to do this. But the reality is, if you upload content like a robot, TikTok will treat you as one.

Also, following accounts and liking posts on a spree for other accounts to recognise and follow you could be tagged a spammy strategy. There are better ways to create TikTok content to generate more traffic and engagement.

Shadowban by accident

TikTok uses algorithms to enforce its content guidelines and the algorithms can sometimes mistakenly flag content that do not violate any rules. This means that certain topics or pieces of content might be incorrectly censored. However, TikTok acknowledged these issues and attributed them to a glitch and issued a statement promising to improve their platform.

How to Know if You’re Shadowbanned on TikTok

How do you know if you're shadowbanned on TikTok? Just like the name implies, being shadowbanned means being placed in shadows or the dark from others. And what makes it worse is the fact that TikTok sends you no notification or heads-up regarding the shadowban.

If you discover any of these from your content or TikTok page, then there’s a high probability that your account is experiencing a shadowban:

• Video invisibility on search results and TikTok feed. To check this out, involve and inform a friend who sees your video on their feed to help check if they still see it.
• Negative change in the engagements like likes and comments. If your contents were getting increases in engagements and suddenly goes bearish, that might be a shadowban.
• Issues with uploading video. If your videos are “processing” or “under review” for a longer time than usual, then that could be a possible shadowban.

How Long Does a Shadowban on TikTok Last?

There have been different reports regarding the period for a shadowban on TikTok. The general time frame is 14 days. Some users have shared their experience with shadowban claiming theirs was shorter than 14 days and others longer usually up to a month.

How to get out of a Shadowban on TikTok

1. Follow all TikTok community guidelines strictly

The safest and most effective way of preventing and getting out of shadowbans on TikTok is by following the rules. The community guidelines are there to check your activities and give you clear instructions on what TikTok wants to see on the platform. Read and understand the guidelines before making your contents public or taking actions on the app.

2. Delete flagged content

Another way you can get out of TikTok shadowban is by deleting flagged content. Once you detect a shadowban, head to your content videos or your analytics and check the ones with low engagement or the ones violating the community guidelines. Delete the videos and wait for 2 weeks to get the ban lifted.

3. Uninstall and reinstall the TikTok app

Sometimes, you might need to clear the app cache. If you’ve done all the necessary things like deleting flagged content and wish to check, delete and reinstall the TikTok app.

4. Don’t spam like a robot

Spamming is one of the common reasons accounts get shadowbanned on TikTok. Avoid posting sprees and video dumps. Instead, create a content calendar that you’ll follow strictly.

Remember, if you act like a bot, TikTok will treat you like one.

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