Why Is Meta Randomly Banning User Accounts?

Meta has been banning Instagram and Facebook accounts at scale, leaving some users confused and angry. Reports from the BBC show thousands of people around the world say they have been locked out of their accounts after being wrongly accused of breaching rules around child sexual exploitation.

More than 500 people have contacted the BBC to share their experience. They say they have lost years of personal photos, business pages and contact lists. Some also feared the police might get involved because of the serious nature of the accusations.

In June, Meta admitted it had wrongly removed Facebook Groups but denied there was any bigger problem with bans across its platforms. It has often declined to comment on individual cases, though in several instances it restored accounts once the BBC raised them directly.

 

Who Has Been Affected?

 

Meta recently announced it had removed 600,000 accounts linked to predatory behaviour as part of a teen safety drive. This was meant to target those who sexualise children online. Some people say they were caught up in the ban despite having done nothing wrong.

One of them is Charles Fossett-Lee, who owns My Gym Santa Barbara, a business that runs non-competitive gymnastics programmes for children aged from 3 months to 15 years. He told US broadcaster ABC7 that Meta took down his business’s Facebook and Instagram pages, his personal account and even an Instagram page for his dog. Fossett-Lee said the loss of social media hurt his business because it had been an important way to attract customers.

Another case is Diego Urbina, who said he lost years of photographs and memories. He was 19 when Meta told him his account had broken rules on child sexual exploitation. Urbina said his appeal was rejected within minutes and he was told he was still in violation.

Both cases were later reversed after ABC7’s investigative programme 7 On Your Side contacted Meta. A company spokesperson told the broadcaster that its teams had reviewed the flagged accounts and found they had been removed in error.

 

 

How Does The Appeals Process Work?

 

According to Meta’s Help Centre, people who believe their account was wrongly disabled or restricted can submit a review request. They need to log in and follow the on-screen instructions to file an appeal. There is a time limit for appeals, and if that window passes, a review will no longer be possible.

Sometimes Meta does not send a warning before restricting an account. The company also says it cannot restore accounts that were disabled for severe violations. If the account was deleted by the owner or someone with their password, the deletion can be cancelled within 30 days.

People who do not see a notification about their account being disabled or restricted may be facing a login problem rather than a ban. In those cases, Meta advises trying password resets or updating the account’s email address.

 

What Has Meta Said About This?

 

Meta has said it takes action on accounts that break its rules and that people can appeal if they think the company has made a mistake. It has not confirmed that the bans on Instagram and Facebook are from a much bigger technical problem.

In the United States, ABC7’s 7 On Your Side has found that in some cases, public intervention leads to bans being lifted, suggesting that human review can overturn errors that automated systems make.

In the UK, the BBC’s reporting shows Meta will sometimes restore accounts when contacted about them directly, but many affected people still have not regained access. The company has not publicly committed to changing its current systems for detecting harmful content, even as complaints continue.