{"id":26718,"date":"2023-12-07T03:36:22","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T10:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/?p=26718"},"modified":"2026-05-25T01:38:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T07:38:17","slug":"instagram-community-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/instagram-community-guidelines","title":{"rendered":"2026 Instagram Community Guidelines: What to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram strives to be a <\/span><b>safe and authentic platform for expression and inspiration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. While most users will never have issues with community guidelines, avid posters and commenters can.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to read the entire guidelines, you can do so on Instagram\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/help.instagram.com\/477434105621119\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">official Community<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Guidelines page<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;re going to give you the <\/span><b>TL;DR for community guidelines <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to help you keep your account in good standing and prevent your account from suspension or being <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">banned. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&#8217;ve even seen some accounts <\/span><b>lose massive engagement <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">because they didn\u2019t adhere to the guidelines.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Spam<\/span> \u2013 It&#8217;s Not Wanted<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It goes without saying <\/span><b>Instagram doesn\u2019t want you to spam<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Spam is considered a form of harassing communication, but this doesn\u2019t mean that you can\u2019t post often on your own account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can post an average of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hootsuite.com\/how-often-to-post-on-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 times<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> per week or 3 times per day without issue. But what you want to <strong>avoid is:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\"  style=\"border-color:#e5ddce;border-radius:14px;-moz-border-radius:14px;-webkit-border-radius:14px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#fff7e8;border-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;border-radius:14px;-moz-border-radius:14px;-webkit-border-radius:14px;\"><div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Submitting too many comments, especially with the same text over and over again.<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Spam liking photos or comments of others.<\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you comment often or like too many photos in a short period of time, Instagram may temporarily block your actions. One influencer I follow could no longer comment back on comments on her own post because she hit Instagram\u2019s internal limit.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">No<\/span> Hate Speech, Bullying or the Like<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expression and inspiration are the backbone of Instagram, but they\u2019re not without limitations. <\/span><b>Instagram wants its platform to be safe for all users<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You need to avoid posting content or comments that can be viewed as:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Hate speech<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Abuse<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Bullying<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You <\/span><b>cannot attack a person<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> because of their gender, religion, disability, disease, ethnicity or for any other reason.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Avoid Posting Content<\/span> That You Don\u2019t Have Right to Post<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It&#8217;s <\/span><b>common to post memes, celebrity pictures and other forms of content that you don\u2019t own<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. However, if you don\u2019t own the intellectual property or have the right to post it, the copyright holder can report the content.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>1. Don\u2019t Post <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">\u201cIllegal Content\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some content <\/span><b>is seen as being illegal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. You shouldn\u2019t post content that praises or supports anything that is illegal, such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Terrorism<\/span><\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Hate groups<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Organized crime<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You cannot offer sexual services on Instagram, nor can you sell drugs or firearms on the platform.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>2. Don\u2019t Post <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Graphic Images<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that all of the photos and videos you post on Instagram are appropriate for a wide audience. <\/span><b>Instagram does <\/b><b><i>not allow <\/i><\/b><b>nudity <\/b>\u2013 even if the content is creative or artistic in nature.<\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\"  style=\"border-color:#e5ddce;border-radius:14px;-moz-border-radius:14px;-webkit-border-radius:14px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#fff7e8;border-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;border-radius:14px;-moz-border-radius:14px;-webkit-border-radius:14px;\"><div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<p>There are <strong>some exceptions:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Nudity in photos of sculptures or paintings<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Photos of women breastfeeding or mastectomy scarring<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p>Images and videos that feature graphic violence are also not allowed.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>3. Only Use <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Third-Party Apps<\/span> That Comply with Instagram\u2019s Guidelines<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Third-party apps can be super helpful for analytics, creating content and scheduling content. <\/span><b>But sometimes, these apps don\u2019t comply with Instagram\u2019s community guidelines and can lead to your account getting banned.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stick with official or approved third-party apps for your Instagram account.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>4. Don\u2019t Spread <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Misinformation<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>As a general rule of thumb, you should avoid spreading rumors or false information on your Instagram account. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take the time to double-check that all of your content is factual.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-note\"  style=\"border-color:#e5ddce;border-radius:14px;-moz-border-radius:14px;-webkit-border-radius:14px;\"><div class=\"su-note-inner su-u-clearfix su-u-trim\" style=\"background-color:#fff7e8;border-color:#ffffff;color:#000000;border-radius:14px;-moz-border-radius:14px;-webkit-border-radius:14px;\"><div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<p>Here are some tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Always be mindful of your sources. Only share information from reputable and credible sources.<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Take overly sensational claims with a grain of salt and avoid sharing them. There\u2019s a good chance they aren\u2019t true.<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-location-arrow\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Check the date of the information \u2013 it may already be outdated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may sound like overkill to take these steps, but remember that your reputation is on the line. <\/span><b>If you spread misinformation, not only will it hurt your personal brand, but it can also lead to Instagram users reporting your account.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">What Happens If I Break<\/span> Instagram\u2019s Guidelines?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>If you violate Instagram\u2019s community guidelines, your account may be temporarily or permanently banned.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram will also remove any content that violates their guidelines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Temporary bans can last anywhere from a few hours to a few days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your account is permanently banned, you may be able to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/how-to-get-banned-instagram-account-back\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">restore it<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through the in-app appeal process or by <a href=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/how-to-contact-instagram\">contacting Instagram directly<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following Instagram\u2019s community guidelines can help prevent bans, but it can also help you grow your account. Stick to them, and you\u2019ll be well on your way to gaining influencer status.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you know Instagram\u2019s community guidelines? Your account can be banned or suspended if you break these often-overlooked rules for posts, comments and likes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":26827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-instagram"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"John","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26718"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38245,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26718\/revisions\/38245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}