Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms and is constantly growing. With a user base of over two billion globally, keeping the platform safe for all is a bit of a challenge for Instagram.
For this very reason, Instagram has tools and algorithms in place that root out things like hate speech and explicit content to ensure that users don’t come across such things. However, should Instagram’s algorithms fail to keep a particular account in check, users can always submit reports for Instagram to look into such content.
In this article, we’re going over what happens when you report someone on Instagram.
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Reporting accounts on Instagram
If you think an Instagram account doesn’t follow the platform’s community guidelines, you can submit reports for a profile or content. Currently, a report can be submitted for the following reasons.
- Spam
- Nudity or sexual activity
- Hate speech or symbols
- Violence or dangerous organisations
- Bullying or harassment
- Selling illegal or regulated goods
- Intellectual property violations
- Suicide or self-injury
- Eating disorders
- Scams or fraud
- False information
Additionally, users can also submit reports for accounts that pretend to be someone else, posting content they shouldn’t be or if the account belongs to a child under 13 years of age. Specific comments or messages can also be reported.
All reports to Instagram are anonymous, except reports about intellectual property infringement. In any case, the account you report won’t know who has reported them.
Once a report goes through, Instagram looks into the reports and checks if the account in question violates the community guidelines, especially if an account gets reported by multiple people.
In any case, if the account is found to be breaching community guidelines by Instagram, appropriate action is taken based on the severity of the offence. Actions can be anything from the deactivation of the reported account, temporary bans or restrictions or even a complete ban.
Instagram also sends a report to every person who has reported an account, with a detailed report of what was reported, what Instagram did to investigate the issue and the action taken. Your reports may also be used to make the content you reported appear lower in your feed or Instagram’s automated recommendations to you, including Suggested Posts and Explore.
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