Instagram isn’t glitching.
It isn’t confused.
It’s not “struggling to scale.”
It’s just fully committed to being terrible.
From false bans to broken support, spammy Reels to AI gone rogue — Reddit is lit up with people who used to love Instagram… until it turned into a hostile, gaslighting nightmare.
And if you’ve felt like something’s off lately, you’re not alone. You’re just finally seeing what Instagram really is now: a bloated mess of AI errors, ignored appeals, forced nudity, rigged moderation, and algorithms that punish you for existing.
TL;DR: Instagram Keeps Banning Users — It’s Just Built This Bad on Purpose
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False bans are rampant — people are getting flagged for “child exploitation” or “terrorism”… on brand-new accounts
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No real support exists — even Meta Verified users get stuck in dead-end chats with bots
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The algorithm is broken and dangerous — it promotes NSFW, violent, and racist content no matter what you interact with
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Basic features are missing or inconsistent — from carousels to messaging to music, nothing works the same across accounts
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Censorship is biased, moderation is robotic, and appeals go nowhere — users are being punished for things they never even posted
Instagram Keeps Banning Users — And No Way Back
Here’s the horror story playing out across Instagram right now:
You’re minding your business, maybe posting dog pics or art, maybe even doing nothing at all — when suddenly, you’re banned.
No warning. No context. Just a vague message like:
“Your account violated our community guidelines for child sexual exploitation.”
…WHAT?
That’s what happened to one Redditor who had just turned 18. Another got suspended for “hate speech” on a brand-new account with zero posts. One user was accused of “account integrity violations” because they dared to complain about exams in a private DM — and the Meta bots didn’t speak their language well enough to parse sarcasm.
And it gets worse: when you try to appeal, you hit a wall.
Instagram’s appeal process is a maze of broken links, bot responses, and automated dead ends. You either:
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Get the exact same generic message copy-pasted by different “support” agents
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Are asked to send government ID to unlock an account you barely used
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Or are locked in an unresponsive support chat that prevents you from even filing new tickets
Meanwhile, if you paid for Meta Verified thinking it would unlock priority help — you got scammed. One user paid specifically to talk to a human about a false flag. What did they get? A loop of meaningless auto-replies and “our system can’t provide that info” messages.
And the cherry on top? They left the support chat open — but stopped replying.
You can’t close it. You can’t start a new one. You’re just… stuck.
This isn’t moderation. This is a Kafkaesque hell loop where Instagram bans you for no reason, won’t say why, and then prevents you from fixing it.
And if you think this is rare? Go read literally any Reddit thread about Instagram bans right now. The comments are flooded with creators, small business owners, and regular users locked out of accounts they’ve had for years — with no explanation and no way back.
Instagram isn’t just broken.
It’s automated punishment without accountability.
Support Is Dead. Long Live the Bots
Meta loves to talk about safety, transparency, and “supporting creators.” But if you’ve ever actually needed help from Instagram?
You know the truth: there is no support.
Not real support, anyway.
You get auto-replies. You get form emails. You get the exact same unhelpful message no matter what you report. It doesn’t matter if your art got flagged, your account got hacked, or your business page vanished overnight. The response is always:
“We can’t share more information to preserve the integrity of our enforcement systems.”
Translation?
We’re not going to tell you what you did wrong — and we’re not going to fix it.
Let that sink in.
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You get punished.
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They won’t tell you why.
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You try to appeal.
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They ignore the issue entirely.
One user in the Reddit thread explained it perfectly:
“The issue isn’t that I disagree with the rules. The issue is that I didn’t break them. I’m being punished for something I didn’t do, and no one at Meta will even acknowledge that part.”
Worse yet, even when you pay for Meta Verified, you’re just paying for faster bots. Not better ones.
You’d expect, at minimum, some human empathy. An actual person to review your case. Maybe even a basic chat conversation that doesn’t loop endlessly in circles. Instead, you’re stuck in a one-sided ghost chat, watching your appeals rot in silence while a bot thanks you for your “patience.”
Support is no longer a department. It’s a shell company of autoresponders with no accountability and no brain.
And Instagram has zero incentive to change this — because for every one person who gives up and quits, a thousand more will just start new accounts.
To them, you’re just data.
The Algorithm Isn’t Just Broken — It’s Dangerous
You think the bans and support are bad? Wait until you meet the algorithm — the unhinged, unfiltered content blender that doesn’t care what you want… or what you can handle.
Instagram’s algorithm used to feel like a recommendation engine. Now? It feels like an onslaught.
Let’s start with the most common complaint in the Reddit thread:
NSFW content and graphic violence being shoved in your face — constantly.
People report seeing:
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Half-naked thirst traps on brand-new accounts
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Gory content of real violence
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Drug use
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Racist, misogynistic, and conspiracy content
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Content they’ve explicitly marked as “Not Interested” — still resurfacing days later
And here’s the kicker: you don’t even have to interact with it.
Just pause for a beat too long and the algorithm decides, “Yup, they like that. Show them more.” That’s why one user described the app as “a machine gun to the brain.”
Instagram claims it shows you what you like.
In reality, it shows you what will spike your dopamine or cortisol.
What’s most enraging? Even when you tell the algorithm to back off — when you tap “Not Interested,” block a type of content, or even avoid scrolling — it doesn’t care. You get the same garbage again. And again. And again.
It’s not broken. It’s optimized for addiction.
And that optimization has side effects:
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Creators who don’t post rage-bait or skin get buried
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Users start self-censoring just to avoid being flagged
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Good content — thoughtful, artistic, nuanced — gets no reach
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Kids and teens are exposed to high-risk content within minutes of joining
The algorithm is a firehose. You don’t control it.
You just try not to drown in it.
And let’s not even start on what happens when the algorithm decides you’re “low quality.” You’ll be shadowbanned, throttled, or labeled “ineligible for monetization” — and you’ll never be told why.
Instagram’s algorithm isn’t some quirky AI sidekick. It’s a reckless, dangerous engine fueled by outrage, confusion, and chaos.
And right now, it’s in the driver’s seat.
Shadowbans, Censorship, and Content Jail
If Instagram had a motto in 2025, it would be:
“We won’t tell you what you did wrong — but we’ll punish you for it anyway.”
Shadowbans. Restricted reach. Muted posts. Inexplicable blocks on going Live, using hashtags, collaborating, or getting monetized. It’s all part of the new Instagram experience — and no one knows when or why it hits them.
Creators are reporting:
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Posts getting 90% less reach overnight
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Reels stuck at 0 views for hours before being released
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The inability to use basic features like music, stickers, or captions
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Warnings like “you’re restricted from interacting” without explanation
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Being told their content is “unoriginal” when it’s 100% self-made
Let’s be real — most of these aren’t even true violations.
They’re false flags triggered by Meta’s janky moderation AI.
Say something sarcastic? Flagged.
Use a trending audio too early? Flagged.
Have a post misinterpreted by the system? Flagged.
And when that happens, your whole account gets blacklisted quietly — with no notice, no option to appeal, and no clue how to fix it.
Shadowbanning isn’t a theory anymore. It’s a daily reality.
Instagram won’t call it that, of course. They’ll say your content “didn’t meet eligibility standards.” Or that “certain actions were restricted due to previous behavior.” But they won’t say which content. Or what behavior. Or how to undo it.
They don’t want to educate you. They want you confused and compliant.
And here’s the wildest part: some users have been stuck in this invisible jail for over a year — unable to grow, monetize, or engage with their own audience. One person in the Reddit thread said their account has been restricted for 60+ days, with no reason, no appeal, no help.
And when they try to ask support?
“We can’t share granular details about how our systems identify violations…”
That’s not moderation. That’s digital gaslighting.
And it’s killing creators. People who built their lives, businesses, and income on Instagram are being sabotaged by the very system they relied on — with no accountability, no transparency, and no way out.
Instagram has turned from a community into a content prison.
And we’re all just waiting for our sentence to hit.
Feature Fragmentation and the Glitch Lottery
Remember when Instagram used to be predictable? When you knew what your app could do and what your posts would look like?
Yeah, those days are gone. Now, using Instagram feels like playing glitch roulette — and every account is its own cursed experiment.
Some users have:
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The ability to fast-forward Reels
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A dislike button on select content
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Access to 15-photo carousels
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Music tools with advanced layering
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A working mute toggle on video posts
Others?
None of it. And no one knows why.
The exact same app, on the same version, on the same phone — and still, wildly different features.
One user in the Reddit thread has three creator accounts, each with completely different tools. One has the trial Reels feature. One doesn’t. One can add music post-upload. The others can’t. One has the new grid layout. The others are still in 2020.
It’s like Instagram is doing A/B testing… on your mental health.
The inconsistency doesn’t stop at features, either. Notifications disappear. Captions fail to save. Saved posts vanish. You open the app and instead of picking up where you left off, you get slammed with a refresh and lose your place entirely.
Then there’s the content feed:
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Ads take up more screen space than actual posts
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You get 3–5 “suggested” posts for every one friend you follow
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Old posts resurface for no reason, while new ones are buried
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The chronological feed still exists… somewhere… in a cave… with no flashlight
And don’t even get us started on messaging.
Multiple users report bugs where they’re logged into one account, but the DM list is pulled from another — meaning a meme you meant to send your best friend… ends up in a client’s inbox.
If this were any other app, the tech press would be calling it “broken beyond belief.”
But because it’s Instagram, people just accept it. Suffer through it. Hope their account eventually gets “blessed” with better features.
This isn’t innovation. This is instability wrapped in a UX filter.
And it’s exhausting.
Censorship, Nudity, and Instagram’s Broken Morality Filter
Instagram’s approach to content moderation is like letting a Roomba enforce the law. Blind, random, and occasionally yeeting things off a cliff for no reason.
Let’s break it down.
On one side, creators are getting flagged or banned for:
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Posting fine art with implied nudity
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Using satire or sarcasm that bots misinterpret
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Sharing their own opinions in completely benign ways
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DMs that no one even sees, but somehow still get flagged
Meanwhile, on the other side of the algorithmic coin…
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Accounts that post revenge porn? Still up.
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Thirst trap spam? Thriving.
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Softcore OnlyFans promos? Unbothered.
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Graphic violence and gore? Featured on your Explore page.
Instagram’s filters aren’t moral. They’re engagement-weighted.
If it makes the platform money, it stays. If it risks bad press, it goes.
One professional artist said they’ve spent weeks arguing with bots to un-flag their classical nude paintings — the kind you’d see in a museum. Meanwhile, bots promoting sketchy crypto “giveaways” with NSFW content? Pushed to the top of Explore.
That’s not content curation. That’s automated cowardice.
Meta claims it’s using AI to keep the platform safe. But “safe” for who?
Certainly not creators. Not marginalized users. Not anyone trying to build an authentic presence without exploiting sex, violence, or rage.
And even worse, if you get hit with a content violation?
You never get to know what triggered it.
There’s no context. No specific sentence or image highlighted. Just a vague “violated community guidelines” message and a nice little restriction to go with it.
That’s the game: keep you guessing. Keep you scared to post. Keep you diluted.
Because if you’re walking on eggshells, you’re less likely to question why thirst traps and AI spam are outperforming your original work.
Instagram’s morality isn’t broken. It’s just for sale.
The Creators Are Leaving — And Instagram Doesn’t Care
Instagram was built by creators. Artists. Photographers. DIY experts. Fitness coaches. Meme gods. Side hustlers. Small businesses.
Now? It’s pushing them out — one broken feature, false ban, and shadow restriction at a time.
You’d think a platform this dependent on creators would do everything it can to keep them happy, right?
Nope.
Instagram has made one thing painfully clear: creators are disposable.
Take the monetization system.
People who qualified months ago are suddenly “no longer eligible.” RPMs are dropping to 0.03 for top-performing Reels. Creator bonuses are disappearing. Appeal options? Useless. Support? Dead. And when people ask why?
Silence.
Or worse — gaslighting.
“Your content doesn’t meet originality standards.”
“You may have violated our guidelines.”
“Due to the sensitive nature of this review, we can’t share specifics.”
What does that even mean?
Creators pour hours into content, build audiences, follow every rule… and Instagram still randomly demonetizes or deranks them. One bad AI flag, one glitch in the matrix — and your entire account can tank with no warning.
Meanwhile, spammy repost pages and TikTok rippers are racking up views and cash. Because they’ve cracked the code: rage + bait + loopholes = reach.
So what are real creators doing?
They’re leaving.
Or at least, diversifying.
Reddit’s full of people moving to:
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YouTube Shorts, where RPMs are better (if you can break in)
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Substack or Patreon, where their fans actually see them
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TikTok, ironically, for better community and less censorship
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Or back to blogs, email lists, and old-school newsletters — because at least those don’t randomly disappear overnight
Instagram doesn’t care. Not because it’s unaware — but because it’s become too big, too bloated, and too profit-choked to fix what’s broken.
Instagram used to be a place to grow. Now it’s a place to escape from.
Instagram Isn’t “Struggling” — It’s Just Not for You Anymore
Let’s kill the fantasy: Instagram isn’t a social platform.
It’s not your creative home.
It’s not your business partner.
It’s definitely not your friend.
It’s an engagement casino rigged by AI, built to extract your time, your content, your data — and give you stress, restrictions, and confusion in return.
False bans. Broken support. Shadowbans with no cause. Features you didn’t ask for. And an algorithm that pushes rage bait while burying actual creators.
Instagram doesn’t need you to succeed. It just needs someone to scroll, like, and click. If that’s not you anymore? They’ll replace you in milliseconds with someone who doesn’t complain.
But here’s the truth most creators are finally waking up to:
You don’t need Instagram either.
Use it like a tool. Nothing more.
Repurpose your content. Point followers to safer platforms. Build an email list. Diversify before the next “random” ban wipes you out.
Because Instagram won’t warn you.
Instagram won’t explain.
Instagram won’t fix it.
And if you’re still wondering if it’s just you?
Go read the Reddit threads. You’ll see the same stories, over and over and over again.
Instagram isn’t broken.
It’s just not built for you anymore.
