Platforms distinguish content that is prohibited, content that may stay online without being recommended, and content requiring extra context or a label. These are not three common tiers applied identically everywhere. Check the rules for the specific platform, product and country.
The difference between the three levels explains most reach "mysteries" and most surprising bans. Below is the overall picture. The same ground is covered topic by topic, with before-and-after examples, in the organic content rules.
The "removed" level: the hard bans
The main categories have not changed for years and are shared by Meta, TikTok and YouTube. The differences are in the detail.
- Violence and dangerous organisations stay fully banned, and that covers threats, incitement and praise for terrorist or criminal structures.
- Harassment and hate speech cover attacks on protected groups, systematic harassment of a specific person, and exposure of personal data.
- Sexual content and nudity have specific prohibitions and exceptions. Check the context and the platform’s rule; an exception does not promise a successful appeal.
- Scams and impersonation include fake promotions, get-rich-quick schemes, and posing as another person or brand.
- Restricted goods and services cover drugs, weapons and prescription medicines, and in advertising there are strict regimes for alcohol, gambling, financial services and health products.
- Dangerous misinformation includes medical claims that endanger health and manipulation around elections.
- Copyright rules forbid using other people's video, music and images without the rights. Repeat violations take accounts down, large ones included.
Penalties build up in stages, moving from a removed post and a warning to limited features and, eventually, a suspended account. The history is kept, which is why two removed posts within a month weigh far more than two spread across three years.
The "not recommended" level: the grey zone that cuts reach
This is where most of the confusion sits. The post stays online, nobody has formally penalised you, but the platform has stopped showing it to anyone outside your followers. Meta calls this "borderline content"; TikTok keeps a list of what is "ineligible for the For You feed". The grey zone tends to cover a handful of recurring formats.
- clickbait headlines and artificial prompts for comments, for example "comment YES if…"
- sexualised but not nude shots
- shocking and risky scenes, dangerous challenges
- health and diet claims without context, weight-loss content aimed at minors
- exaggerated financial promises
- recycled content carrying another platform's watermark
If an account produces this kind of content systematically, the limit spreads across the whole profile. What that looks like from the inside, and how you check for it, is covered in the article on shadowbans.
AI content: check the labelling requirements
TikTok requires labels for realistic AI-generated images, audio and video, and may also apply an automatic label. Check each platform’s requirements separately.
Labelling does not make every use of AI permissible. TikTok prohibits some misleading and harmful uses even with a label. Check the specific example and rule before publishing.
Follow the available disclosure process and check whether the content is permitted. Do not assume the presence or absence of a label alone explains reach.
The traps for business accounts
The costliest mistakes we see are made by small businesses, because there a violation also hits the ad account. The problems almost always fall into five areas.
- Promises of results in the aesthetic and health sectors are restricted in Meta ads. That covers before-and-after shots, guaranteed results and wording that points at personal attributes, such as "for you who have…". The post passes organically, yet the same wording in an ad cuts the account.
- Finance and crypto require prior permission or a licence for many formats, and without one, rejected ads keep piling up against the profile.
- Music in business content is restricted because commercial accounts do not hold the rights that personal ones have over popular tracks in the music libraries. A promo video scored with someone else's music is a copyright violation.
- Contests and giveaways can easily break the spam rules when they require sharing to stories or tagging friends in certain formats, so the exact wording matters.
- Bought-in content, meaning posting the same viral clips that hundreds of pages are running, classifies the account as unoriginal and pulls it out of recommendations and monetisation.
Quick differences between platforms
If you post the same content everywhere, it helps to know which rule cuts hardest on which platform.
Instagram: recommendation rules may be stricter than the rules for remaining online. Check the specific examples and your Account Status.
TikTok: check the rules for age restrictions, For You eligibility and AI content. For commercial music use, check the appropriate licence and library.
Facebook: check the Community Standards and separate terms for Pages, groups and monetisation. Allowed content is not necessarily recommended.
YouTube: a warning and a strike are different. A first violation typically brings a warning; severe abuse can lead directly to termination. Three strikes in one 90-day period may lead to channel termination. Check the specific notice and the separate copyright rules.
Monetisation: the higher bar
Everything above applies to ordinary posting. Monetised accounts go through a second, stricter review, and content that is allowed but "not advertiser-friendly" loses revenue without any violation at all. Coarse language in the opening seconds, contentious topics, and even excessive footage of accidents lower the ad rate. If platform revenue matters to you, read each platform's separate monetisation rules as well. They differ from the community standards, and they differ on exactly the topics that earn money.
How to check a post before you publish it
Before publishing, check the specific rule, evidence for advertising claims, rights to the materials and AI disclosure requirements. This checklist helps with review but does not guarantee approval.
Check your Account Status once a month too. Appeal wrong decisions straight away instead of letting them pile up in the history, because the rules keep changing while your account's history is kept.
If you have already taken a penalty you believe is wrong, or you are planning content in a risky sector and want a review before publishing, that is exactly our work. Send us a case or a request for a consultation through the contact form.
Official sources
Checked on 15 October 2026.