What Happens If You Report Someone On Instagram [Complete Steps On How To Report]

Not everyone on Instagram are nice and there can be times when you want to do something drastic such as report someone or something (post, comment, or direct message). In this guide, we’ll show you the complete steps on how to report on this platform and explain to you what happens when you report someone on Instagram.

Reasons to report an account, comment, or post on Instagram?

There’s a wide range of reasons why someone would consider reporting an Instagram account, comment, or post. While some people may report other users for minor, annoying reasons, some of the most common and serious reasons include violation of Instagram’s Terms and Conditions or the platform’s Community Guidelines.

What is Spam on Instagram?

In some cases, an Instagram account may start posting spammy or hate-filled comments while others may have to deal with inappropriate contents. Both of these cases are valid reasons for reporting.

If you report abuse, or spam, the reported account will be blocked in your profile and you will no longer see whatever content they post. They would also not see whatever posts you have on your account.

If you find an Instagram account that constantly posts irrelevant comments or inauthentic contents, you can report it as spam.

What are the other reasons to report someone on Instagram?

Instagram reasons for reports

There are other reasons besides spam. These includes the following:

  • nudity or sexual activity
  • I just don’t like it (personal preference)
  • hate speech or symbols
  • violence or dangerous organizations
  • bullying or harassment
  • false information
  • scam or fraud
  • suicide or self-injury
  • sale of illegal or regulated goods
  • intellectual property violation
  • eating disorders
  • something else

How do reports on Instagram work?

Reporting someone on Instagram is easy. All you have to do is go to the post, direct message, story, or account that you want to report, tap on the three dots at the upper right, and select Report. 

The steps to report on Instagram works similarly whether you’re using a mobile or on a web browser on your computer.

How to report an Instagram account?

Here are the steps to report an Instagram account:

  1. Open the Instagram app.
  2. Make sure that you’re in the main menu of the account by selecting the account name.
    main account page instagram
  3. Tap on the three dots at the upper right.
    main account page instagram three dots
  4. Select Report….
    Report Instagram account
  5. Select which of the two reasons is appropriate: Report post, Message, or Comment and Report Account
    Options to report Instagram

Right now, you won’t be able to use the first option (reporting in the user profile page) unless you go to the page where the post, message, or comment is located. On the other hand, if you’re trying to do the Report Account option, you’ll then have to choose the relevant reason for doing so. These are the options that you can choose under Report account:

  • It’s posting content that shouldn’t’ be on Instagram
  • It’s pretending to be someone else
  • It may be under the age of 13

How to report a comment on Instagram?

Whether you’re reporting a comment from another user’s post or your own post, the process to do so is exactly the same. 

If you want to report a comment, here’s what you must do:

  1. Open the Instagram app.
  2. Open the comments section of a post. 
    Comments section instagram
  3. Find the comment that you want to report by pressing and holding it.
  4. Tap the Report icon at the upper right (a box with an exclamation mark).
    Report icon comments section instagram
  5. Tap on Report this comment.
    report this comment instagram
  6. Select the appropriate reason for reporting the said comment.
    reason for reporting comment instagram

Keep in mind that you can also choose to block the offending account instead of merely reporting the comment. Account blocking is preferable if you find that the same user repeatedly violates Instagram’s Terms and Conditions or the platform’s Community Guidelines.

Here’s how account blocking works:

  1. Open the Instagram app.
  2. Open the comments section of a post. 
  3. Find the comment that you want to report by pressing and holding it.
  4. Tap the Report icon at the upper right (a box with an exclamation mark).
  5. Tap on Block [usename].

How to report a Direct Message?

The steps for reporting a Direct Message on Instagram is similar to reporting an Instagram post on Instagram account/profile. You have the option of either blocking the individual who is sending you unwelcome direct messages or reporting the whole account that they are using. You also have the option to report specific messages, which will show Instagram precisely what aspects of that user’s behavior on the site constituted improper behavior. If you want to report a specific message in a thread only, here’s how:

  1. Open the Instagram app and go to the Home screen.
  2. Go to your Direct Messages section by tapping on the Direct Message icon at the upper right.
    instagram account main page 1
  3. Open the Direct Message that you like to report.
  4. Press and hold the message and select Report.
    Report DM instagram
  5. Pick the most relevant reason for reporting that message.
    Reasons to report dm instagram

How to report a post on Instagram?

If you think that an Instagram post is abusive or violates the Terms and conditions of the platform, you can follow these steps to report it:

  1. Open the Instagram app and go to the Home screen.
  2. Find the post you want to report and tap on the three dots at the upper right for that post.
    instagram home page
  3. Tap the Report icon.
    instagram post report icon
  4. Pick the most relevant reason for reporting that message.
    instagram post reason for reporting

What happens when you report someone on Instagram?

Now that you know how to report, you must be wondering what happens when you report someone on Instagram. Well, for most people, there’s nothing much that they can see after sending the report. If the report is valid and the Instagram’s community review team or Instagram support team that handles that report finds that it violates their service’s Terms and Conditions or Instagram Guidelines, the reported account might be banned, or the post or profile might be prevented from being shown in your account in the future. That’s all to it.

Instagram will take appropriate measures to lessen or eliminate stuff that promotes violence, hate speech, inappropriate content, etc. but they won’t give any specifics after receiving all the reports.

The good thing is, your reports remain anonymous so the reported account will not know that it’s been reported by you or by anyone else. However, if you’re trying to report an intellectual property infringement, you’ll need to identify yourself or contact Instagram directly.

Can someone know if he/she has been reported on Instagram?

As mentioned above, there’s no way for anyone to know that they’ve been reported. Instagram will not tell you that your account, comment, direct message, or post has been reported. However, you may notice that you will no longer be able to contact the person via Direct Message if he or she decides to block you.

Also, the person you’ve reported may also know that he or she has been reported if your report has something to do with intellectual property infringement. 

What happens if someone reports you on Instagram accidentally?

Instagram manually reviews each report so if your account, post, direct message, or comment did not violate anything, those reports will not be taken into consideration and your account will not be affected.

In the event that you have mistakenly reported another user on Instagram, you do not need to be concerned about Instagram banning or disabling the account. The platform will conclude that there is no problem with the account, post, or remark that was reported, and it will not take any action against the account owner.

Can an Instagram account get banned after it’s been reported?

The result of the report depends on the issue as well as the gravity of the problem. If it’s a minor violation, Instagram might simply block the account temporarily for a set period. On the one hand, if the issue is serious such as when you report abuse or when it’s about repeated infringements, the account might be banned for good. Again, only Instagram can decide on the outcome so even if you think that the issue demands far greater sanction, Instagram may see the issue at a different light and will issue a much lighter punishment.

How many reports can result to Instagram account termination or ban?

There is no known limit to the number of reports that can result to account suspension or ban. However, the type of violation is important and can result to a ban even when it’s only been reported once.

FAQs

  1. Are your reports on Instagram anonymous?

    Yes. All reports on Instagram are anonymous except when it’s about intellectual property infringement, in which case, the person who reports must identify himself or herself.

  2. What is the difference between Instagram Restrict and Instagram Report?

    When you choose to Restrict a user on Instagram, the app prevents that user from checking for new posts or leaving comments on the ones you've already posted. 
    Restrict on Instagram is just a stripped-down version of the block feature. You may restrict someone on Instagram to limit the ways in which they can engage with you on the site. This is an alternative to unfollowing or blocking their account on Instagram.
    Blocking an account on Instagram is the total package and the blocked account will no longer be able to interact with you in any way in the platform.

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