With a steady increase in social media trends, Instagram has emerged as one of the most engaging platforms out there. Brands and influencers jumped on the bandwagon at every instant they got to connect to their audience. So, why leave out those hashtags when they’re capable of boosting12.6% more engagement?
Hashtags can help you reach your target audience, establish a better brand image, and skyrocket your growth to new heights. However, with great power comes great responsibility (#Spiderman).
Yes, certain hashtags are banned from Instagram, and using them will get you penalized. Unfortunately, this list of banned Instagram hashtags keeps changing every other week. But fortunately, we have come up with a list of hashtags that will get you banned in 2021.
Before we dive into the list, let’s dig a little deeper.
What Are Banned Hashtags?
Banned hashtags refer to hashtags that have been reported by Instagram users because the posts using those hashtags stand against Instagram’s guidelines. So, any of your posts that use these hashtags will be hidden from viewers, which will only hinder your organic growth and reach strategies.
Based on community guidelines and Instagram investigations, banned hashtags keep changing from time to time. Sadly, Instagram does not post a list of the hashtags that are currently banned, but that is precisely why we’re here to guide you.
Why Does Instagram Ban Hashtags in 2021?
Instagram primarily bans hashtags based on reports from different users. Generally, it happens when users are posting inappropriate content using certain hashtags. Some hashtags which may seem innocent also fall in this list, such as #beautyblogger. Similar alternatives are still acceptable, such as #beautybloggers with an ‘s’ in the end.
In 2018, Instagram grew a ‘negative list’ of banned hashtags with some of the popular terms. Brands do understand how these can hinder their growth, as it will potentially hinder them from reaching their audience. No one really wants that hassle.
This does mean a lot more work on your end. Sorting through every Instagram post and making sure you haven’t used a banned hashtag is going to be difficult. But in all honesty, this is actually a clever tactic to restrict spam behavior within the platform.
Spams and fake news have made social media a pretty miserable place. Someone posts something juicy, and the next thing you know, everyone is talking about it without even verifying the news. This is exactly why the concept of banned hashtags came into being in the first place. Instagram relentlessly tries to keep its platform free from all sorts of fake accounts, fake news, spam, bots, and scams. And in order to protect user authenticity, Instagram’s bot detection now detects and flags Instagram accounts that use certain hashtags.
Moreover, most users and brands do not post inappropriate content with seemingly innocent hashtags. These posts and hashtags generally come from fake or spam accounts. Instagram is, therefore, trying to take a stand against fake accounts to make the platform a better place for all its real users.
What Happens When You Use A Banned Hashtag?
When you keep on using banned hashtags repeatedly, Instagram’s bot-finding algorithms will mark your account and flag it. Repeated flags can also result in shadow banning or even account removal.
Shadowbanning is a scenario where Instagram does not take any direct action against you but covertly limits the reach of all your posts. Your posts will thus never reach your audience as you intend them to, and you’ll keep cursing your editing skills and content quality, all while you’re oblivious to the real problem. Hence, you need to keep a close eye on the level of engagement on your posts. If you notice a decreasing number of likes and comments, the chances are Instagram has shadowbanned you.
How Do You Know If A Hashtag Has Been Banned?
As mentioned earlier, the list of banned hashtags changes quite frequently, making it more difficult to keep track. This also means you need to do your research right before including certain hashtags in your Instagram post.
You can also find out if a hashtag is banned by searching for it in the search bar. Tap the magnifying glass icon and type in the hashtag you want to use.
When the hashtag name shows up, tap on that, and scroll all the way down. At the end-point, if there’s a message stating ‘currently hidden’, it will mean that the hashtag is now banned by Instagram. Though certain hashtags are only banned on a temporary basis, we’d recommend reframing those accordingly to ensure brand visibility and high engagement.
Instagram 2021 Banned Hashtags
Every hashtag consists of more than 100k posts. Hence, taking all that time and energy to scroll all the way down really is difficult. Hence, we’ve curated a list of banned hashtags that you might want to look at. If one of your posts hasn’t been performing well lately and they had some of these hashtags, you might just have found your answer. Here’s a list of all the banned hashtags from what we gathered in alphabetical order.
The List of Banned
Hashtags (A-Z)
A
· #abdl
· #always
· #asiangirl
· #addmysc
· #adulting
· #alone
· #assday
· #ass
· #assworship
· #armparty
B
· #beautyblogger (Note: #beautybloggers works just fine)
· #bikinibody
· #boho
· #besties
· #brain
C
· #curvygirls
· #costumes
D
· #dating
· #date
· #desk
· #dm
· #direct
E
· #eggplant
· #edm
· #elevator
G
· #gloves
· #girlsonly
H
· #humpday
· #hotweather
· #hardworkpaysoff (Note: #hardworkpaysoff????works)
· #hawks
· #hustler
I
· #ice
· #instasport
· #italiano
· #iphonegraphy
K
· #kansas (Note: #kansascity works perfectly)
· #killingit
· #kickoff
· #kissing
L
· #lulu
· #loseweight
M
· #models
· #mirrorphoto
· #master
· #milf
· #mustfollow
· #mileycyrus
N
· #nasty
· #nudity
· #newyearsday
O
· #overnight
P
· #parties
· #pushups
· #pornfood
· #petite
· #prettygirl
R
· #ravens
· #rate
S
· #selfharm
· #samelove
· #skateboarding
· #saltwater
· #singlelife
· #skype
· #stranger
· #single
· #sopretty
· #streetphoto
· #snapchat (Note: #snapchat???? works)
· #snap
· #shit
· #snowstorm
· #sunbathing
· #swole
· #shower
T
· #tagsforlikes
· #tanlines
· #tag4like
· #teens
· #teen
· #todayimwearing
· #thought
U
· #undies
V
· #valentinesday
W
· #workflow
Y
· #Youngmodel
How NOT To Be Banned By Instagram
The best way to not be blocked by Instagram is to be proactive. Of course, using hashtags is one of the easiest ways to reach out to your target audience and placing your brand in the front row. But if you skip the cross-checking process and use them extravagantly, it might do you more harm than good.
Make sure you thoroughly do your research before adding a new hashtag. More often than not, Instagram temporarily bans harmless hashtags, but it can still have a negative impact on your brand. Steer clear of banned hashtags at all costs. Scroll down your Instagram account and delete all the banned hashtags right away. Neglecting this cleansing process might get you blocked, penalized, or shadowbanned. And you don’t want any of them coming in the way of your stellar digital marketing strategy.
It’s definitely a lot of work, but your Instagram account deserves the absolute best results, too.
Final Words
Wrapping up, all you need to do is be cautious of how you use your Instagram account. Hashtags definitely have their upsides, but the downsides, if neglected, can turn the table and hinder your business growth. Remember to research, cross-check, and cleanse. Happy Instagramming!
