Hashtag Hell: Insights on Instagram Hashtags & Shadowbans 2024

Heads up! 

You’d be really surprised to know how many hashtags might be putting your Instagram account at risk! 

Using a banned hashtag can lead to a significant decline in engagement on your account; the dreaded shadowban, or – worst case scenario – a permanent removal from the platform. 

For those in the sexual wellness industry, we know that many words and/or hashtags relating to sex or pleasure are always at risk…even if they aren’t banned right now. Seemingly “vanilla” hashtags can also be a problem. 

But banned hashtags don’t just impact the sexual health & wellness industry. They can also affect relationship coaches, marriage counselors, and cannabis brands just to name a few. 

Not that I’d be caught dead using the hashtag #MileyCyrus, but it was banned around the Grammys (and has since been re-added on Instagram). 

#Romance is another example of a hashtag that was banned in January 2024. (These are just two examples of how Instagram hashtag bans are temporary.)

Unfortunately, Instagram does not publish a list of banned hashtags. And resources like Kicksta have not updated their list of banned hashtags for 2024 since January! Because sexual wellness accounts are more at risk for shadowbans and removals, I manually check industry-relevant hashtags every week to keep my social media clients safe. 

Why does Instagram ban certain hashtags like #MileyCyrus? 

In the past, even “innocent” hashtags like #valentinesday and #happythanksgiving were banned temporarily because they were overrun with spam posts. Reasons why Instagram bans certain hashtags: 

• The hashtag is being spammed by other bots. 
• The hashtag goes against Instagram’s community guidelines.

How do I know if a hashtag is currently banned?

The best way to know if an Instagram hashtag is banned is by checking on the Instagram platform itself.

Whether you're on desktop or mobile, one easy way to search for a banned hashtag is by adding it to the end of this link: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/

Example, let's search "ass": https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/ass/ 

This is what you'll see if a hashtag is temporarily banned: 

Instagram also has a new notification for shadowbanned accounts. I received this notification one day after searching for Future Method, a sexual wellness brand that specializes in anal health:

According to Instagram:

"If you want to manually check if a hashtag is banned, you can visit the hashtag page either on desktop or on your Instagram app, and you will see that only a few top posts are shown. You will also see a notice across the top or bottom that says “Recent posts from #hashtag are currently hidden because the community has reported some content that may not meet Instagram’s community guidelines. Learn more.”

This is getting into the weeds about Instagram’s community guidelines, and there is much more to their Sexual Solicitation restrictions than they describe. I’ll save that for another long-fucking-winded blog.

How do you know if an Instagram hashtag has been banned before?

There is no definitive way of knowing. However, we can assume if a hashtag has less than 100k posts, it has been banned at some point. 

For example, #sexism currently has 449,962 posts. In the history of Instagram, do you really think there have only been 449k posts using the hashtag #sexism? I highly doubt it. Low hashtag volume likely indicates that a hashtag has been banned in the past.

What are some banned Instagram hashtags for the sexual wellness industry in 2024?

This is NOT a comprehensive list. Depending on how many hours you have, it can take a day to comb through banned hashtags in your niche. 

Unbanned sexual health and wellness hashtags on Instagram (as of April 8, 2024)

#orgasms #adultsextoys #sexeducatorlife #sexedforall #sexcoaching #sexpositiveeducation #consentissexy #adultnovelties #vaginalhealth #clitoralstimulation #safesexisgreatsex #sexualempowerment #sextalk #bettersex #healthysex #vibrators #pleasureproducts #sexualhealthmatters #safesex #sextips #femalepleasure #sextherapy #letstalkaboutsex #selfpleasure #humansexuality #sexpositivity #pleasure #intimacy #sexualhealth #sexualwellness

Does Instagram ban hashtags forever?

Temporarily banned hashtags might be here today but gone tomorrow. This usually happens when someone reports your account or an inappropriate hashtag found on another post. Your reach will diminish if you use a temporarily banned hashtag. 

Permanently banned hashtags stay banned for all of eternity. They cannot or will not be revoked, and can lead to account penalizations. These are typically inappropriate hashtags that show a content warning before viewing them on Instagram. These posts have no organic reach. Using them repeatedly will lead to an account ban. 

If a hashtag is permanently banned, this is one type of notification you will see:

Based on recent Child Safety Protection laws, Instagram will only continue to crack down on content restrictions - even though they may claim to "allow for the discussion of sex worker rights advocacy," for example.

Why would Instagram shadowban my account? 

 

• You are violating their (ever-changing, double-fucking-standard) Content Policies. This includes your BIO, graphics, captions, and/or hashtags. 
• Your account has been reported by other user/s.
• You use an Instagram bot or “growth tool”.
• You've been posting, commenting, engaging, or following people too quickly. 

 

How do I know if my account has been shadowbanned?

If you use a banned or limited hashtag, it can prevent your other hashtags from ranking, and could also result in a blocked account.

If you notice a sudden and significant drop in your post engagement (likes), you may have been shadowbanned.

Check your Instagram Insights.

One metric: check “percent of accounts reached” for accounts that aren’t following you.

“From Hashtags” is another metric. 

Should I keep posting if my account is shadowbanned?

 

• You have the option to stop posting altogether. 
• If you're aware of the reason behind your shadowban, proceed with caution.
• One reason to keep posting: followers will most likely still see your posts, and IG’s algorithm doesn’t really like it if you stop posting. 
• Avoiding posting altogether can result in a loss of priority in your followers' home feeds.
• Focus on creating "safe" content that drives engagement to keep the algorithm happy. If Instagram perceives your content as low quality, your content will not be pushed out to people who don’t follow you.
• Some accounts who decided to LOG OUT completely - no posting, commenting or engaging – while shadowbanned had their account cleared in 2-3 days. 

How long does it take for an Instagram shadowban to be removed?

There is NO concrete timeline! Forget trying to figure out Instagram's policies, we are way past that!

• Short: 2-3 days
• Average: 2-3 weeks
• Long: 1 month 
• Worst case scenario: 8 months+ 

How can I keep my Instagram account safe?

1. Edit sexual terms in your bio, hashtags, captions, and even graphics starting now if you haven’t already implemented this!
2. Search the hashtag you are going to include that could be risky before you post. Keep in mind that multiple variations of hashtags may or may not be banned. Example: #snapchat - many hashtags using Snapchat are currently banned. On the flip side, a hashtag like #vibrators is not banned, but #vibrator is. 
3. If you are using a growth tool, stop using it immediately! (If you’re in the adult industry and you use a growth tool/bot, you’re fucking playing with fire.)
4. If your account is flagged at any time, go back and remove banned hashtags from your captions or comments section. 
5. Monitor Instagram’s Community Guidelines regularly, because they are constantly changing. And they’re packed with double standards. Pay specific attention to their Sexual Solicitation Guidelines: “Adult Sexual Solicitation and Sexually Explicit Language”. 

Don't land your account in the danger zone. When in doubt, leave it out.

Edit: As of May 2025, Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, has stated that hashtags are not an effective way to increase your reach.