Instagram Appeal Form – Quick Guide and 7 Reasons to Appeal

At times, Instagram takes action and disables accounts, especially if specific terms have been violated.

However, this process can be imperfect, and at times, an Instagram account may be mistakenly disabled even when there is no violation of any Instagram community guidelines.

In these situations, you can contact support by submitting an appeal. Here is a guide that covers everything you need to know about the Instagram appeal form.

What Is an Instagram Appeal Form?

The Instagram appeal form is a new way to contact support on this social media platform when your account has been disabled.

Here’s what happens when your account is disabled.

Firstly, you will be logged out. When you attempt to log in again, after entering your username and password, you will see a page that informs you that the account has been deleted and explains the reason for this.

You will receive two options.

The first step is to download your data, ensuring that you can access your content again.

If you are here, you are likely considering the alternative option of requesting a review from the Instagram team.

Next, you will click on the Request Review button.

This will take you to another page, where you will need to provide your email, your full name, and an explanation of why you think there has been a mistake.

After that, you will receive a message stating that they will review your account again and restore it to your Instagram app if it is determined that an error was made.

Just keep in mind that there is a 30-day limit. If you do not submit an appeal within this period, your account will be permanently disabled, and you will need to create a new Instagram account.

After you submit this appeal, you will have the option to check its status, whether it has been sent, is currently under review, or has been completed.

Typically, Instagram takes up to 24 hours to complete a review, so you won’t have to wait long and will receive the answers you need.

Of course, this new option does not ensure that everything will be fine. If you receive the same message as before and are certain that you have done nothing wrong, you will need to reach out to support using a different method.

Many people attain considerable success by tweeting from their official Twitter accounts, for instance.

However, while this system is far from perfect, it still signifies progress in addressing the mistakes made by this social media platform.

When Can You Submit an Instagram Appeal Form?

Regardless of whether a business account was disabled for violating the terms of use or if it was a personal account, the chance to submit an appeal remains unchanged.

However, with business accounts, there are usually more individuals reporting the abuse, which could greatly impact your chances of recovering the account if it was disabled for violating the terms.

To be completely clear, you can always submit an appeal form, no matter the reason your account was deactivated.

7 Reasons Your Instagram Account Is Disabled

The Instagram team will disable an account mainly if it has violated the Community Guidelines.

Additionally, in cases where multiple individuals report an account for violating the Guidelines.

Whenever this happens, regardless of the violated guidelines, you have the option to submit an appeal form.

To gain a clearer understanding of the situations involved, let’s review Instagram’s Community Guidelines.

1. Posting Content That Is Not Yours

The content you post on Instagram, especially if you have a business account, should be original and authentic, rather than copied or inauthentic.

This relates to intellectual property rights, which means you cannot post anything that you do not own.

2. Inappropriate Content

Your content must be appropriate for a diverse audience, especially regarding nudity. While some individuals or groups may view certain nude photos as artistic, this perspective may not be universally accepted, which means it could potentially violate the guidelines.

According to Instagram’s Help Center, prohibited content includes sexual intercourse, genitals, and close-ups of fully nude buttocks, even if depicted in digitally created art.

Additionally, female nipples are only permitted in the contexts of childbirth, breastfeeding, postpartum moments, and health-related content.

However, posting paintings and sculptures is acceptable. One thing that is never permissible in any context, regardless of intentions, is posting partially or completely nude photographs of children.

3. Disingenuous Interactions

Your interactions, whether through likes or comments, should be genuine; any form of spam will lead to an immediate ban.

This also relates to offering giveaways and monetary incentives for any type of engagement from your followers, as well as promoting content linked to fake and misleading ratings and reviews.

4. Illegal Activities

Clearly, all activities on the platform must be legal; therefore, any praise or support for organized crime, terrorism, or hate groups will be permanently disabled.

It is also important to mention the provision of sexual services and the trade in unregulated goods.

It is clear that content that is sexual in nature and involves minors is strictly prohibited.

5. Disrespectful Interactions

All interactions with other community members must be respectful, meaning there is zero tolerance for any form of threats or hate speech, as well as shaming or degrading individuals. This applies to discrimination on all grounds.

6. Promotions of Self-Injury

Encouraging or promoting any form of self-injury should not be present on Instagram, as it is a significant factor that can lead to the loss of access to your account.

7. News

While sharing news and articles is important and beneficial, content related to specific news can be problematic.

This primarily concerns graphic violence and images that depict sadistic pleasure, which should be avoided on the platform, even when presented as news.

When Instagram identifies a rule violation, it can result in two types of bans.

Depending on the situation, you may receive either a temporary ban or a permanent ban, which will effectively result in your account being deactivated.

Let’s delve into the meaning of each one.

Temporary Ban

Temporary bans on Instagram may happen when there is a potential policy violation, even if you haven’t personally done anything wrong.

Firstly, this can happen after engaging in bot-like activities, such as excessively liking, commenting, or following and unfollowing people within a 24-hour period. It also applies to posting the same comment multiple times.

Next, we will discuss the use of third-party apps that automate actions on Instagram, especially those that are not officially approved by the platform.

This mainly pertains to situations where an individual opts to buy followers on Instagram from untrustworthy services.

Finally, if your account is phished, someone may acquire your login details without your knowledge, leading to a compromised account. In these situations, Instagram will respond by imposing a temporary ban.

When your account is temporarily banned, it still exists; you just cannot use it.

During this period, you are unable to like, comment, or share anything, and the length of the ban may vary based on the circumstances that caused it.

After that period has elapsed, you will be able to use the account as usual.

Permanent Ban

A permanent ban on Instagram is uncommon, but when it happens, it results from a violation of the terms of use.

Specifically, Instagram will permanently deactivate an account if it receives multiple reports from other users.

The reported content usually includes prohibited material, such as bots, spam, promotion of violence, or any type of sexual content.

However, there is always the option to submit an appeal before the account is permanently disabled.

You can submit the appeal within 30 days, so be sure to act promptly if this happens.

If Instagram concludes that you have violated the terms, even after you submit an appeal, your account will be permanently lost, and you will need to create a new one.

Make sure to create the new Instagram account using a different email address and phone number than the deactivated one.

How Can I Appeal Using the Mobile App?

The easiest way to submit an appeal form after your account has been disabled is through the Instagram app. Here’s how the process works:

Submitting an Instagram Appeal Form on Instagram Web

The appeal form on the Instagram website operates in a slightly different manner, and here’s what you need to do:

Conclusion

Instagram’s ability to deactivate accounts that threaten the community is an essential feature that improves the app’s safety for the widest possible audience.

However, mistakes can happen, and your account may be deactivated even if you haven’t breached any guidelines.

That is why Instagram has developed its appeal form feature.

This appeal form is a document you can submit to them, requesting a reevaluation of their decision.

This usually lasts around 24 hours or less, and during that time, you will find out whether you can recover your account or if it is permanently lost.

The entire process is simple, so there is no need for concern, particularly if you are confident that everything you did followed the guidelines.

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