Understanding TikTok: Identifying Signs of Shadow Banning

In the bustling world of TikTok, creators often encounter a phenomenon known as shadowbanning. This article aims to shed light on what shadowbanning is, its causes, and potential solutions.

Shadowbanning is a suppression of content and account in the algorithm and search results, making videos, sounds, hashtags, and profiles invisible to most users. This can lead to a sudden drop in views (80-90% or more), low engagement despite a large follower base, drop in discoverability, and lack of growth.

The possible causes of a TikTok shadowban include violations of TikTok's community guidelines, algorithmic adjustments, or technical issues. Creators may unintentionally fall afoul of the guidelines by engaging in mass actions like follow/unfollow, reposting/duetting videos without credit, or using too many blocked hashtags. TikTok wants to protect creators' content and treats accounts as content thieves if they don't credit the original creator when duetting or reposting viral TikToks.

Another cause could be strange IP patterns, which TikTok may interpret as someone trying to evade an account ban or grow inauthentically. Using a VPN, proxy servers, sharing an IP address with a banned account, or logging in from different regions can trigger shadowbans.

However, it's important to note that the rules for community guidelines are very subjective, so you may get shadowbanned even if you had good intentions. Explaining the intent behind restricted videos can help overturn unfair shadowbans based on confusion over Guidelines violations.

To confirm a shadowban, ask friends/followers to search for you and compare analytics of older viral videos to recent ones. If there's a significant drop in visibility, it's likely that your account is shadowbanned.

Fortunately, there are steps creators can take to reverse a shadowban. Taking a 1-2 week break from uploading can help. Deleting problematic videos and changing hashtags can help lift automatic restrictions. Requesting content reviews proactively prompts manual checks by TikTok's human moderators. Submitting a shadowban appeal directly to TikTok can also help get your account manually reviewed.

It's also worth noting that using banned hashtags related to dangerous challenges, illegal substances, or adult content can limit your account's visibility on TikTok. Shadowbanning restricts account's ability to attract new followers, so it's crucial to maintain a clean and respectful online presence.

In conclusion, while shadowbanning can be frustrating, understanding its causes and taking proactive steps can help creators overcome it. By following TikTok's community guidelines, giving credit where credit is due, and being mindful of IP patterns, creators can maintain a visible and engaging presence on the platform.