How to avoid a TikTok shadowban: Tips from the experts

Have your video views and engagement suddenly taken a nosedive? You may have found yourself on the business end of a TikTok shadowban.

Now, there’s a bit of lore behind elusive social media shadowbans. TikTok support doesn’t acknowledge they exist. But many content creators and influencers have shared stories of suddenly seeing no activity on their TikTok videos that just days before had thousands of views.

So, are TikTok shadowbans a reality? Or can something else explain why no one can find your videos?

We delved deep into the dark corners of the internet (well, mostly TikTok and Reddit) to see what successful content creators had to say about the subject.

We also asked Samantha Vlasceaunu, AKA The Unicorn Marketer, for her thoughts on the topic. As a social media marketing coach helping marketing agencies, coaches, entrepreneurs, and national brands, she offered lots of tips on identifying and dealing with shadowbans.

What is a TikTok shadowban?

In general, a shadowban is when a user is blocked or muted on a social media platform or forum without notification.

Specifically, a TikTok shadowban usually means your content no longer appears in the For You Page (FYP) or relevant searches. Since those are the two main ways TikTok users discover new content, a shadowban will nearly halt all video views and overall account’s visibility.

But the topic is controversial among creators. Some say shadowbans don’t exist and that something else, like inappropriate content or low-quality content, is causing the issue. While many others are convinced that TikTok definitely suppresses accounts.

There are stories of even the most popular TikTokers, like Alix Earle, suffering the fate of a shadowban.

Vlasceaunu says that while shadowbans are likely real, most people mistake them for something else. “My feelings on this are mixed, as 90% of people who think they are shadowbanned are not actually shadowbanned at all, they just made some errors along the way.”

And what does TikTok say? Well, it hasn’t publicly admitted to shadowbanning any accounts. But it does have a set of Community Guidelines and lists a few consequences for accounts that don’t follow them, including:

• Removal of content: “[…] we remove content—whether posted publicly or privately—when we find that it violates our rules.”
• Restricting content: “We restrict content that may not be suitable so that it is only viewed by adults (18 years and older).”
• Make content ineligible for the FYP: “Content that does not meet our standards will be ineligible for the FYF.”

Whether you believe in true shadowbans or not, removing, restricting, and disqualifying content from search is a fate you’ll want to avoid (and we’ll show you how in a bit).

How long does a TikTok shadowban last?

Since TikTok doesn’t admit to shadowbanning accounts, there’s no official statement on how long they last. If you go by the feedback from creators, though, a shadowban often lasts for one to two weeks.

There are several factors at play here. If you have one video causing the ban and delete it, you might return to normal quickly. But if you have several posts that the TikTok algorithm doesn’t like, you could be stuck in shadowban purgatory for months.

The reason for, and your response to, the ban will ultimately decide how long it lasts. But preventing a shadowban is still your best bet.

Let’s look at what’ll likely land your account in hot water so you can avoid it.

How to get shadowbanned on TikTok?

The scary thing is that it’s not always easy to tell why you’ve been thrown in shadowban jail. You could have a thriving TikTok account one day and see your video views drop to nil the next.

All is not lost, though. You can greatly reduce the chance of a shadowban by understanding TikTok’s rules and following the advice of other creators. Here’s what they say are the most common reasons for a shadowban.

Posting ineligible content

TikTok has posted a list of For You Page content eligibility standards. The document says it limits the amount of some types of content on the For You feed and completely restricts other types from being discovered there.

For example, TikTok says content about dieting, extreme fitness, adult content, sadness, and overgeneralized mental health information are eligible for the FYP but will be limited so users don’t see them in large clusters.

On the more extreme end, there’s a list of content TikTok won’t show in the FYF at all, including:

• Content created by account holders under 16 years old
• Hate speech
• Nudity
• Disordered eating and body image content
• Dangerous activity and challenges
• Explicit content
• Inappropriate content
• Shocking and graphic content
• Misinformation
• And more

This type of content may still be found in other ways, but it won’t be shown in the FYP feed.

Vlasceaunu also says to watch out for certain words that go against TikTok’s community guidelines. “Avoid using certain trigger words or misspell them on TikTok (Sex vs Seggs, Truth BOMB etc),” she explains.

Bullying or harassment

TikTok says it will not allow “harassing, degrading, or bullying statements or behavior.” That statement covers what you post to your account and reactions or comments you place on other accounts.

Now, there’s wiggle room for making negative or critical comments, especially towards public figures. But if it straddles the line of violent threat or hate speech, you could wind up in shadowbanned land.

Acting like a scammer or spammer

You’ll see some people suggest shortcuts to growing your account faster, like buying followers or artificially increasing engagement. But those actions will likely lead to a shadowban, negating any other work you’ve put in to grow organically.

Here’s how one Redditor with experience in shadow bans explains it.

Here are some of the spammy and scammy activities they say to avoid:

• Posting new content too often, especially when you first create a TikTok account
• Don’t go crazy commenting the same thing on every video you find to show activity
• Don’t use a VPN
• Don’t repost content that has zero views

Buying followers is a particularly big no-no. “Buying followers falls in the spammy category and TikTok does not want spammy behavior,” Vlasceaunu says. “But this also affects the algorithm process as well, as bought followers are not engaging in your videos, which means TikTok can’t run its initial audience test of your content.”.

You could also trigger a ban if you post too aggressively after taking a break from TikTok, Vlasceaunu says.

“Taking a break is fine, but if you come back after a few months of not posting and decide to jump back in with 3-4 videos per day, TikTok may view that as very spammy-like behavior,” she warns. “Ease back in with consistency first.”

In short, don’t do things that’ll make TikTok’s algorithm think you’re a bot. There are far better ways to grow your TikTok account.

Copyright infringement and unoriginal content

Posting content created by someone else is a common cause of shadowbans. This includes posting a video you may have created but that infringes on someone’s intellectual property rights (like a copyright).

Unfortunately, this can happen through no fault of your own if someone impersonates your account. This TikToker explains how the TikTok algorithm mistook imposter accounts for the original and left them shadowbanned.

Here’s evidence of how shadow ban actually works (proof TikTok broke my account)
byu/Transformativemike inTiktokhelp

Algorithm abnormalities

Here’s where it gets complicated. TikTok’s guidelines are enforced by an algorithm. Sometimes, that algorithm might mistakenly flag certain topics or pieces of content.

Some critics have even claimed that TikTok has taken sides or intentionally stifled the voices of activists and protestors. For example, at the height of the George Floyd protests in 2020, many Black Lives Matter activists claimed their posts were receiving 0 views if they contained the #BlackLivesMatter or #GeorgeFloyd hashtags.

TikTok responded to these protests with a lengthy statement. They blamed a glitch for the mixup and vowed to do more to foster diversity on the platform.

Black Lives Matter is not the only movement that has accused TikTok of shadowbanning them. Still, a TikTok spokesperson told Refinery29 that they are swift to act when their algorithms flag content that hasn’t violated any guidelines.

“Our community of creators is vibrant and diverse, and everything we do at TikTok is about providing a safe space for people to express their ideas and creativity, no matter who they are,” a spokesperson said.

“We are open about the fact that we don’t always get every decision right, which is why we continue to invest at scale in our safety operations.”

How to tell if you’ve been shadowbanned on TikTok?

There’s no official warning, notification, or little blinky icon to tell you your TikTok account has been shadowbanned. That’s where the “shadow” part comes from.

But there are some indicators if you know what to look for.

Your numbers take a nosedive

If your meteoric rise in video views suddenly plummets to near zero, you may be in the throws of a TikTok shadowban.

“Does your profile page look like this: you were getting an average of 3K-5K views per video and suddenly they’ve consistently dropped below 100?”

Have a look at your TikTok or Hootsuite analytics dashboard.

Do you see one or two videos with zero views? That’s your shadowban signal.

Your videos are absent from search, hashtags, and the FYP

Like we said, the For You Page is where new followers find your content. If your videos stop showing up there, that’s probably a shadowban and bad news.

The easiest way to check this is in your TikTok traffic sources, “Check your recent traffic source analytics and see if For You is less than 1%. If it’s more than 1%, you’re not shadowbanned.”

You can also find this information on your Hootsuite dashboard. Look at “Post video views: For You” to see what percent of your views came from the FYP.

Once you see that you’re not in the FYP, check out relevant hashtags. Try adding a relevant, popular hashtag to a new video. Don’t see your video in the hashtag search? You may be banned.

Your uploads are kept down

Another strong hint that you’re in a TikTok shadow ban is if your new videos get mired in the “under review” or “processing” phase.

There may be a technical glitch, like a bad connection. But it could also mean the algorithm has noticed something about your content (correctly or not) that’s keeping it from publishing.

You can see if a view is under review by clicking on the three dots at the bottom, then tapping “Copy link.” You’ll get a banner at the top telling you your content is under review.

Source: @the.digital.cat

Your account isn’t in good standing

While TikTok won’t signal a true shadowban, it will tell you if your account has red flags.

If you think you’re banned, “Check your account status,” says Vlasceaunu. “Go to Tiktok Studio, then Account check, and see if your videos are violating any of the community guidelines and make sure your account is in good standing.”

How to get rid of a TikTok shadowban?

You don’t need to pay homage to algorithm deities (or pay TikTok a fine). There are a few simple steps you can try to shine some light back on your shadowbanned account.

Review your content closely

When you suspect a ban, the first step is to identify which post(s) may have triggered it. Review all aspects of your content carefully. Here’s a quick checklist:

• Look for any words in your video transcript that the algorithm may have flagged.
• Make sure your music doesn’t infringe on any copyright issues, especially if it doesn’t come from the TikTok library (and don’t forget to check background music your video may have captured).
• Check your captions and hashtags for words that may run afoul of TikTok’s guidelines.

Don’t forget to review your bio, as well. This TikTok creator says her shadowban went away after she removed a YouTube link from her bio.

Delete flagged or questionable posts

Sometimes, you’ll get a warning that one of your posts violated a community guideline. Or you’ll notice a theme or aspect of your video that might be flagged by the algorithm. Either way, you’ll want to remove the culprit as quickly as possible.

You can appeal if one of your videos gets tagged as violating a guideline. But that process could take weeks or months. So unless there’s a really compelling reason to keep it up, you’re better off just deleting the post.

Clear out your TikTok cache

If you’re confident your content is clean and you’re still in a ban, try clearing out the cache in your TikTok account. That’ll clear up any lingering technical glitches holding you back.

To clear out your cache, open TikTok and:

• Tap the three-line icon in the top right corner and then tap “settings and privacy.”
• Scroll down to the cache and cellular data section.
• Tap “clear cache.”

Don’t worry, it only removes temporary files. All your content will be safe and sound.

Keep engaging thoughtfully

It’s important that TikTok sees you active on the app during a shadowban. That means viewing and engaging with content from other content creators.

“Engaging with other people on TikTok is probably the most important tip,” says Vlasceaunu. It shows the algorithm that you’re active in a positive way and helps retrain it.

“Take a break from asking and just give, give, give. Comment daily for the next three days and spread kindness. This will show TikTok you’re active. Not just posting, but giving back to the TikTok community. And it tells TikTok who your exact audience should be.”

Just don’t go crazy and like every video in your FYP. That’ll look spammy and possibly dig your shadowban hole even deeper.

Post great content

Remember that TikTok isn’t purposefully out to stifle your account growth. They want more users, too.

This TikToker said that’s why you should keep posting your amazing content consistently during a shadowban.

Don’t just repost content to fill the void, Vlasceaunu says.

“It’s 2025, and this strategy won’t work. TikTok, like Instagram, wants original content, especially since they are paying people out through the creator fund. You can’t skate by with just reposting a video you recently created (like 3 months ago).”

Remember, don’t try and overcompensate by posting dozens of videos every day. That’ll look like bot behavior and keep you shadowbanned longer.

5 expert tips to avoid a TikTok shadowban

Shadowbans will sap your momentum, both creatively and on the TikTok app. However, Vlasceaunu has a few tricks to keep your TikTok account out of trouble.

1. Get yourself in a good place

It’s disheartening to see your hard work get thrashed by a shadowban. Try not to let that affect what you do next. “Get yourself in a good place,” Vlasceaunu says. “It makes a huge difference. When you’re in a place of fear, scarcity, and negativity, all your content will continue to flop.”

She suggests taking a break and listening to an uplifting podcast or video.

2. Change up your videos

Vlasceaunu says to keep posting content but not stick with the playbook, which may have stirred up trouble.

“Change the hook and delivery of your videos,” she says. “For example, if you’re always talking at your audience, try using storytelling to tell how you learned the hidden secrets you’re teaching.”

3. Go Live

Engagement rates with your content is a good clue to TikTok that you don’t deserve a shadowban. Vlasceaunu says one way to get views on existing videos is with TikTok Live.

“If you have the ability, go live on TIkTok,” she says. That’ll show that you’re showing up for people, and it’ll help boost your videos as people who are interested in your Live will jump to see your profile.”

“That’ll boost more views back to your videos that may be shadowbanned.”

4. Increase your average watch time

Whether to avoid a shadowban, or to grow your account, Vlasceaunu says that keeping eyes on your videos longer should be a priority.

“One of the most important metrics on TikTok is retained watch time,” she explains. “If you look through your analytics on each video, and you’re losing 75% of people in the first 5 seconds, change it up. Keep the middle section the same and change the first 5 seconds of your videos with a polarizing hook.”

5. Uninstall the app and take a break

If you’ve tried all of the above steps and haven’t seen any improvement, a timeout from creating content may help.

Taking a break from TikTok could be the reset you need to let your new account have a fresh start and avoid any further guideline violations.

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