If you’ve noticed a lack of engagement and followers on your TikTok account, you could be experiencing the platform’s infamous shadowban.

What exactly is it, how long does a shadowban last on TikTok and how do you get unshadowbanned? We will give you the answers and more.

What Is Shadow Banning on TikTok?

A TikTok shadowban, also known as stealth banning or ghost banning, means that your account has been temporarily blocked without your knowledge. 

In essence, it means that your videos won’t appear in the feed of other users, i.e. their For You page, or hashtag results. Consequently, you will experience a drop in likes, views, and followers which could have a negative impact on your reach and prevent your growth on the platform. 

TikTok is not just an app for kids and teens. Statistics show that Aussies spend 25 hours and 40 minutes a month watching videos online, contributing to TikTok becoming a valuable marketing channel for a lot of Australian businesses.

How do you get shadowbanned on TikTok?

A TikTok account is usually shadowbanned automatically. TikTok’s algorithm will temporarily block you in order to protect other users from inappropriate content and spammy behaviour, threats or copyright issues. 

How Long Does a Shadowban Last on TikTok?

Since TikTok has never referenced shadowbans, it can be hard to tell how long your account will be blocked. 

According to users, TikTok Shadowban lasted for about 24 hours in the beginning. 

However, TikTok’s algorithm is constantly evolving, so now a shadowban on the platform can now last anywhere from two weeks to a month. 

In the first week of the TikTok shadowban, users tend to notice a decrease in followers and views. After a few days, you won’t be able to use any tags or make new videos on TikTok unless they are public.

How to Know if You’re Shadowbanned on TikTok?

Unless your account is permanently banned from the platform, you will not receive any notification informing you that you have been shadowbanned. In other words, you have to figure out for yourself if TikTok has shadowbanned you or not. 

There are a few tell-tale signs, the main one being that your videos won’t pop up in people’s feeds (which makes it much easier for someone else to notice a shadowban rather than the actual user).

Here is a list of things that could happen during a shadowban:

Keep in mind that a drop in traffic doesn’t necessarily mean that you are shadowbanned. There could be other reasons—you could be posting at the wrong time or the quality and style of your content may be different than what your followers expect.

  • Your videos won’t show up when you search via hashtag;
  • Your videos won’t be visible on other users’ For You pages;
  • You might not be able to upload videos (you will see messages such as “under review” or “processing”;
  • You won’t get any new followers, likes or comments.

To get to the bottom of the issue, you need to switch to a Pro account.  

A TikTok Pro account provides analytics tools for all your posts that will not only give you insight into how your videos are performing, but also show you if you are really being shadowbanned (if there are no views from the For You page, then it is very likely that you have been temporarily banned).

If you are undecided between using TikTok and Instagram to promote your business, this article could clear up some doubts.

If you can’t afford a TikTok Pro account, then go through the platform’s Community Guidelines and your own videos to check if any of the rules have been violated. 

Why Does Tik Tok Shadow Ban Users?

Since TikTok does not officially inform you that your account has been shadowbanned, it has not offered an explanation as to why your activity on the app has been limited. 

However, it is safe to assume that an account would get banned if it violated important community guidelines and rules, such as posting adult or spam content. 

Here are a few reasons why TikTok might shadowban you. 

Spammy behaviour

Many people like and follow multiple accounts hoping that other users will return the favour. However, liking and following many people a day can be seen as spam, and TikTok could consider you a bot. 

What can you do instead: Limit your activity on the platform. Liking and following 50 people or more is already considered too much. 

Instead, focus on producing quality content and posting it at the right time to get more engagement.

For instance, posting content on social media on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays around 10 am is considered the best time to boost engagement rates. Specifically in Australia, the best time to post on TikTok is at 8 am, 12.15 pm, 5.30 pm and 9 pm on weekdays. 

Inappropriate content

If you post videos that deal with or show adult content or elements considered inappropriate by the TikTok online community, you might get shadowbanned or even permanently banned from the platform. 

The following is considered as inappropriate content: 

Note: If you post a link in your video that leads to another site with offensive or inappropriate content, you could still be banned.

  • Hate speech;
  • Fake news;
  • Violence;
  • Nudity or sexually explicit content;
  • Drugs and weapons (guns, knives, etc);
  • Cyberbullying, particularly minors;
  • Using banned hashtags.

If your content is considered inappropriate by the platform’s online community, other users could report you.

What can you do instead: Don’t think that you can shock people into liking and following your videos. Always make sure that the content you upload is respectful and does not offend or mock the beliefs, opinions and sentiments of other users. 

To do that you need to know your audience. Australian TikTok users are mainly females aged between 18 and 24 so if you want to gain their attention, post content relevant to their likes and interests instead of hoping that controversial videos will increase engagement. 

Not being original

Paying for likes and followers is a big no-no on TikTok and one of the things that can get you banned from the platform. 

The same goes if you use copyrighted music or videos, remove certain clips or make your videos private. 

TikTok users like creators (and content) to be unique, fresh and engaging and they don’t appreciate if a creator is hiding content or using someone else’s material to get likes.

What can you do instead: Make sure your videos are original. Take a look at what others are doing on the platform, but put your own spin on it. Take a look at some ideas on how to get started with TikTok videos, start a challenge or use trending hashtags to get more exposure. 

How to get Unshadowbanned on TikTok?

Here are some tips on what to do if you are shadowbanned on TikTok:

  • Delete the videos, hashtags or captions that you think are causing the issue.
  • Uninstall and reinstall the app to make sure you have upgraded to the latest version
  • Clear the cache and take a break from the app for some time.

Bear in mind that in most cases getting rid of a shadowban on social media means you have to wait it out. Check the app from time to time to see if the ban has been lifted and be more careful next time you post videos. 

Bottom Line

Getting shadowbanned on TikTok, even if it is just for two weeks, can cause a lot of damage. 

Did you know that TikTok in some countries has been banned?

Depending on how long does a shadowban last on TikTok, you could miss out on important opportunities to get new followers and likes and experience a major setback in your social media campaign.

You will also have to be more careful in the future since if your account has been flagged once, it is very likely that it will be under serious scrutiny from then on. Several violations of TikTok’s community guidelines can even get you a permanent ban from the platform. 

1. How to shadow ban someone on TikTok?

If you feel that a video on TikTok violates one of the Community Guidelines, you can report it. The platform will put it under review and depending on how many times the video or account has been reported, the user could be shadowbanned or banned from the app. 

2. Why did I get shadowbanned on TikTok?

Sadly, no one really knows the answer to “why does TikTok shadow ban” or “how long does a shadowban last on TikTok”, but typically any violation of Community Guidelines could get you temporarily or permanently banned from the platform. 

3. How to not be shadowbanned on Tiktok?

Although there is no guarantee that your account won’t be shadowbanned, there are a few things you can do to avoid it, such as not liking or following many accounts in a short span of time or posting inappropriate content that might hurt the sentiments of other users.