When You are Shadow Banned, This Happens

Imagine the frustration of investing so much time into creating content. You meticulously prepare your topics and thumbnails, doll yourself up, set up the camera, and get into action. This repetitive process goes on for days, weeks, and even months. But despite all your efforts, you come to the realization that your expected results are not being achieved. It seems that something beyond your control is undermining all your hard work.

This phenomenon is not only experienced by content creators on social media but also by everyday individuals living their daily lives. Since my last post in the community, some of you have inquired about the meaning of the term "shadow ban." Allow me to take a moment to explain it in simple terms from a content creator's perspective. Essentially, a shadow ban can be likened to someone keeping you busy without allowing you to achieve your desired results. It is comparable to ghosting, where the platform, such as Facebook, intentionally limits your visibility and engagement.

Being banned from a platform means losing access to your account, which prevents you from logging in. This type of ban is a complete restriction. On the other hand, there is a subtler form of ban called shadow banning. With shadow banning, you can still log into the platform and engage in activities like posting, sharing, liking, and commenting on other people's posts. However, none of your activities will be visible to anyone else. Your likes, comments, and other actions will go unnoticed. Some platforms, such as YouTube, allow you to access your account and upload videos, but only a fraction of your followers will be able to see them. The platform will not recommend your videos to a wider audience. On the user level, a YouTube channel can shadow ban you from their content if they dislike your presence or your activities on your own channel. They can hide you from their channel by visiting your channel's page.

This means that you can still watch their videos, subscribe to their channel, and receive notifications from them. However, when you comment on their content, no one will see it, not even the channel owner. Similarly, when you like their posts or videos, it will not be counted. This tricks you into thinking that others are seeing your activities, but in reality, only you can see them. This video is not about how users can shadow ban each other on YouTube; it merely illustrates how platforms can employ the same technique against a user.

YouTube, as a platform, has the ability to shadow ban users for various reasons, such as violating community guidelines or terms of service. In some cases, instead of outright banning a user, YouTube may allow them to remain on the platform, but restrict the visibility of their content to only a small fraction of their audience. This means that their videos will not be recommended to new viewers.

There are a few indicators that can help determine if your channel has been shadow banned. One sign is a significant drop in views on your recent videos, despite not changing the content or niche. If this decline persists over a long period, it could be a sign that your channel has been shadow banned. Additionally, if your channel or videos do not appear in YouTube search results, this can also indicate a shadow ban. To address this issue, there are steps you can take to resolve it. In my own experience, I faced a shadow ban that affected my revenue. Although I was still receiving views, likes, and subscribers, the revenue generated from my videos dramatically decreased. For example, a video that used to generate an average of $3 per day suddenly dropped to less than 1 cent per day.

When I noticed this decline, I contacted YouTube support to report the issue. They reviewed my channel and assured me that there was nothing wrong, advising me to check my earnings on a monthly basis rather than daily. Despite their reassurances, the problem persisted, and I felt the need to seek further clarification. It was clear that there was something that needed to be addressed on my channel. Please note that these experiences and observations are based on my personal situation. If you suspect that your channel has been shadow banned, it is recommended to contact YouTube support for assistance and follow their guidance to resolve the issue.

Due to discrepancies in revenue and the numbers I was seeing for views, watch hours, and subscribers, I contacted YouTube multiple times to address the issue. Despite their reassurances that there was nothing wrong with my channel, I persisted in my belief that something was amiss. After reaching out over five times and engaging in two weeks of back and forth communication, the matter was eventually resolved. It turned out that my case was escalated to a higher support team who investigated and resolved the issue. However, months later, a similar problem arose, though it was not as severe as the first one.

If you notice any unusual changes on your channel and are confident that you are in compliance with YouTube's Community Guidelines and terms of service, I recommend going to your YouTube studio and clicking on the chat icon in the upper right corner to initiate a conversation with a YouTube support representative. This option is only available to members of the YouTube Partner Program.

This is how I resolved the shadow ban on my revenue, and it could also help with issues related to views, subscribers, or watch time hours. For instance, I knew a channel that was approaching monetization and experienced a sudden drop in watch time hours without deleting, privatizing, or unlisting any videos. In addition to potential violations of the YouTube Community Guidelines and terms of service, such drops could be caused by a system glitch, as was the case with my own channel. I believe that some adjustments were made by the engineers, addressing the revenue problem.

If you thoroughly review your channel's analytics and believe that you have been shadow banned in error, you can contact YouTube support for assistance using the steps I outlined earlier. Ensure that your content adheres to YouTube's community guidelines and terms of service. Occasionally, YouTube conducts purges to remove fake accounts from its platform, which can have a negative impact on your channel.

This may result in what is commonly referred to as being "shadow banned." Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly analyze all metrics on your channel before drawing any conclusions. Since mid-2022, some YouTubers have reported a decrease in views on their videos, particularly for new uploads. Additionally, subscription rates have significantly slowed down, and revenue has declined. These changes may be attributed to YouTube's implementation of monetization policies and the repositioning of Shorts on the platform. It is also possible that YouTube is conducting various experiments, commonly referred to as "testing." Despite these challenges, YouTube remains the premier social media platform for uploading video content as a creator. However, it is important to note that if you have been shadow banned or face restrictions, the visibility of your content may be limited.

If you found this information helpful, please give this content a share if you have ever been shadow banned by a user or platform.