What Does Shadow Banned Mean on TikTok? How to Know and Recover
On social media like TikTok, the number of views, likes, traffic, and engagements becomes vitally important. Because, in social media marketing, content creators can convert it into a profit.
But imagine if you were successful on the platform, you had a lot of followers and viewers; you were flying above the clouds, and one day, you fell to earth, and suddenly your video views declined sharply, on an ongoing basis.
How do you feel about that? That sucks, isn't it, especially if you don't know what's going on with your account. This article will explain what it means to be "shadowbanned" on TikTok, how to avoid it, and more. Here we go!
What does TikTok shadowbanned mean?
"Shadow banning" itself is an action of blocking the user or some content from the online community not realizing it even though it is being blocked. "Shadowbanned" is a punitive act that every social media user must avoid. It's very detrimental to users because it can decrease the reach of their videos or posts.
"Shadowbanned" on TikTok is when an account is restricted from the platform through reduced visibility without being notified. In effect, your content video will stop receiving more views, likes, and traffic from the TikTok For You Page, not as often as before.
So, if you've looked at your content video views and engagement fall dramatically in recent days, your TikTok account may have been shadowbanned. What is the aim?
The goal is to create a more conducive community ecosystem. For example, hiding prohibited content that triggers a commotion to not easily visible to other users.
It's silent but deadly punishment compared to your TikTok account being suspended.
With a shadowban applied in the online community, people who like to do trouble will not realize they're being cut off. That is why it will not trigger them to create a new account.
How do I know if I am shadowbanned on TikTok?
Based on the information above, then you may want to know if your account or hashtag is shadowbanned or not. Are there any ways that you can do to check for it?
TikTok doesn't make any features or services to do that. It's called "shadowbanned" for a reason. However, there are some simple ways that you can try to know whether your account or hashtag is shadowbanned or not.
Below are the easy and complete steps to follow:
- Open the application by using another account
- Go to the Discover menu available there
- In a search box, type the username or hashtag that you want to check
- Click the search button there
If you can still find the username or hashtag from there, it means that everything is good. However, if it isn't, you need to do a follow-up to recover that account or remove the hashtag as soon as possible.
Another way to check this is to analyze your content videos' views over the last seven days. If the content views are decreasing day by day even though the qualities are the same, then that's shadowbanned for you.
People must understand that posting duplicate content or reposting someone else's video without permission can get them blocked. The account's tendency of racism, hate speech, and p*rn*graphic content resulted in banned, too.
How long do TikTok shadow bans last?
For some of you or other users who are shadowbanned on that app, it's essential to know how long it will last. Although most people are not sure about how long that blockage will end. There is a piece of insight about this issue.
Some experienced users say that it can be two weeks, months, or even permanent. It's tough to recover the account or hashtags that TikTok blocked.
It is because the application has a potent reason they do that. The example is for a post that can trigger a threat, p*rn*graphy, restricting copyright, reported by so many users, and so on.
That is why; if you don't want to be banned by the app, it's important to "play safe" and follow the rules. It means that do not post pictures, videos, or hashtags which violate the TikTok policies.
To maintain the comfort of their users, TikTok always has the right and decisive reason they block an account. It means that they don't randomly block the users as long as they don't violate their policies.
There are some categories where that application takes the final decision. Mainly, if TikTok algorithms detect your uploaded video as spam, TikTok may block them from the platform immediately.
How do I fix Shadowban on TikTok?
It is pretty hard to recover an account or hashtag that has been blocked, as stated before. However, there are several efforts you might make.
Below are the steps:
Step 1. Delete all videos that have the restricted hashtag or contents
Step 2. During the shadowban period, minimize your activity on TikTok, such as uploading controversial videos and many more
Step 3. Check the account routinely because they can vary the duration of the block
Step 4. Switch to a TikTok Pro Account
Step 5. Wait until the conditions in the real are more conducive
The steps above will not 100% recover your account from a blockage, especially if it's permanent. However, at least those can clean them from the cause of shadow ban or temporary blockage.
After knowing what "shadowbanned" means on TikTok, I hope that you'll be wiser in every action of your online activities.
Again, the most important thing to do is not upload something that violates the policies and follows the community guidelines.
Read also: What Does XYZBCA Mean on TikTok? The Myth of the Hashtag Explained.