What Does Shadow Banned Mean on Tik Tok? How to Prevent it?

Today, we will discuss shadowbanning (also known as ghost banning or stealth banning) on the popular platform TikTok.

Like all other social media platforms, this one also has community guidelines that, if violated, can result in a ban.

In this section, we will discuss this topic along with a few other factors to consider if you want to avoid TikTok shadowbans.

What Does Shadowbanned Mean and How It Can Harm Your Pro Account?

Essentially, a TikTok shadowban occurs when TikTok intentionally reduces the number of views on your videos without any prior notice.

Shadowbanning typically occurs following a report.

This phenomenon is not limited to TikTok; you can also be shadowbanned on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

TikTok has not provided a formal explanation of its shadowbanning techniques. Below, I will outline what to avoid if you want to prevent being shadowbanned.

Reasons for Shadowban

1. Violation of community guidelines

2. You may be banned for using a VPN

3. Faking Engagement

4. For purchasing fake engagement

5. For private mass videos

6. By exhibiting spam behavior

7. For sharing inappropriate content

8. For being banned or kicked from TikTok live

9. For using copyrighted material in both live presentations and videos

The primary reason the TikTok app employs shadowbanning is to safeguard its platform.

If TikTok allows a significant amount of copyrighted material in both live streams and videos, it could pose a major issue for them to address.

If you are a well-established TikToker with many subscribers, you are likely making money on Tik Tok through endorsements.

Consider that if you get banned, you will lose your endorsements. Businesses depend on social media for effective marketing. By simply adhering to the rules, you can prevent this difficult situation.

TikTok’s Community Guidelines Violations

If you have multiple community guideline violations in your TikTok account, it can also work in their favor.

They limit the number of views you receive because you are posting content that violates their guidelines.

Above all, they aim to make TikTok a safe space for everyone.

Therefore, first and foremost, you as a TikTok user, along with other users, must ensure that you avoid doing everything mentioned above.

I suggest that if you receive a community guideline violation, you should appeal it. In most cases, the violation will be overturned, and you won’t receive a strike against your account.

Note: The TikTok app monitors any misleading information, content deemed inappropriate, or any related topics that violate community guidelines.

That being said, if you appeal it and lose, you can either delete the recent video or set it to private.

Do not, and I truly mean do not, do that before the appeal. If you delete or make the videos private, it could harm your account much more if you do not go through the appeal process.

If you want to avoid being banned during a live stream, ensure that you are not naked and that you do not play any copyrighted music or videos.

Even if you are not actually exposing yourself, you can still be deemed inappropriate and get kicked off. Remember, it’s the AI that is responsible for kicking you out.

Note: Additionally, ensure that you do not endanger any animals or humans during the live stream. I have observed individuals getting shadowbanned on TikTok for this, or simply for excessive cursing or any form of hate speech.

Deleting Videos, Private Videos, and Fake Followers

Concerning the deletion of private videos, please refrain from doing this.

As I mentioned earlier, if you receive a copyright violation or lose an appeal, you can delete that video; however, aside from that, do not delete private videos.

When it comes to purchasing followers or fake engagement, simply avoid it, everyone.

There is a significant amount of organic reach on TikTok, so I don’t understand why anyone would purchase fake engagement or followers when they are available for free.

Simply post your videos on the For You page to gain exposure to a wider audience and take advantage of that opportunity.

I don’t understand why anyone would buy fake engagement or followers on TikTok when it’s so easy to achieve real metrics.

Furthermore, if you engage in any of those activities, TikTok will likely suppress your videos from receiving views in the future.

Simply concentrate on producing and sharing content that people find entertaining, and your channel will grow over time.

Common tip: By producing quality content, you will increase video shares and grow your channel. If your content is dull and unentertaining, you will naturally fall behind other TikTokers.

You can always search for videos on how to enhance your content’s reach. Don’t rush; take your time. Rome was not built in a day.

How to Be Sure That You Are Shadowbanned?

Now that you understand what to avoid to prevent getting shadowbanned and to maintain your account’s good standing with TikTok, I would like to highlight a couple of additional points.

First, if your videos receive zero views, it does not mean you are shadowbanned. It simply indicates that your video is under review. Leave that video up, as this process can take up to 72 hours.

Additionally, if you have just created a new account or are using a VPN, these factors can also result in zero views.

The only way to determine if you are shadowbanned is as follows.

If you post a good video that meets the watch time requirements set by the current TikTok algorithm update, but receive 0% views from the For You page, then you are shadowbanned.

That being said, the TikTok analytics are not updated in real time, so you will need to wait 72 hours to determine whether or not you are actually shadowbanned.

1. If your video is shorter than 15 seconds and has 100% watch time.

2. If your video is between 16 and 30 seconds long and has over 75% watch time

3. Or if your video is longer than 30 seconds with 50% watch time

If these are your numbers and you received 0% of your views from the For You page, then you are shadowbanned.

However, if you receive even 1% of the traffic, you are not shadowbanned; you simply need to create content that is overall better than what you have previously posted.

In this way, you can easily monitor your activity and search results, allowing you to assess how well your posts are actually performing.

How to Fix Shadowban and How Long Does it Last?

First of all, a shadowban is not permanent, so you will not be permanently banned. So, how can you get unshadowbanned on TikTok? The best advice I can offer is to simply wait.

Unfortunately, the TikTok shadowban is now lasting longer than it ever has in history.

In the past, shadowbans lasted for a short period, typically a few days. This duration then extended to seven days, followed by two weeks, and now it can last up to a month.

The reason for the longer shadowbans is that it is now much more difficult to get shadowbanned on TikTok than it was in the past.

That said, if you broke all the rules I mentioned throughout this text, you could be shadowbanned, and there is only one way to fix it.

First, for the next 30 days, you must refrain from doing all the things I mentioned above.

Each time you receive a community guideline violation, face copyright issues, get removed from a live stream, delete a video, or mass private videos, it will extend the 30-day sentence.

Therefore, if this occurs, ensure that you do not break any other rules. Additionally, you should only post once a day if this situation arises.

By doing this, you are attempting to demonstrate to TikTok that you will begin producing quality content once more.

Content that can be featured on the For You page to demonstrate that you are a trustworthy creator and to promote your work to a wider audience.

Therefore, upload only once a day and ensure that it’s high-quality content. I highly recommend reposting your best recent pieces or sharing only material that you believe has the potential to go viral.

Therefore, if you are not achieving those watch time metrics, you are not indicating to TikTok that you are producing quality content.

This means that they will no longer feature your content on the For You page.

A few helpful tips:

Many creators experience shadowbans, and they typically respond in two ways.

Initially, they produced a significant amount of poor-quality content, which continues to result in their shadowbanning.

Secondly, they take a lengthy break, which makes it less likely for TikTok to promote their content.

By avoiding this type of behavior, you will resolve your shadowban. Keep in mind that you cannot lift the ban; you can only wait for it to expire.

If you make it through your first week, you are almost done.

Remember, it can take anywhere from two weeks to 30 days for this to occur. Just follow the instructions I have provided, and you will be good to go in no time.

Conclusion

I genuinely hope that I have been able to shed some light on the topic and assist you in any way possible.

Much of the information on this subject is self-explanatory; the best way to avoid shadow banning is by adhering to the rules.

Good day and best of luck to all of you TikTok users out there.