Instagram has a lot of rules and regulations on their platform that they enforce with users to ensure they promote a safe and appropriate social experience.
Some of those rules are definitely needed.
To prevent things like harassment and an unsafe environment, the company does a pretty good job at monitoring reports and taking action.
Sometimes that action involves Instagram completely disabling a person’s account.
When they pose danger or post things that are inappropriate and against the law, Instagram will be quick to take the account down.
For many parents, these rules are a good thing.
Since it’s become common practice for parents to share photos of their children online, these rules and regulations were created specifically to protect children.
These days, it’s almost become second nature for parents to post updates about their kids.
These photos are typically of children doing regular kid things like playing or taking a bath, so parents don’t even think about Instagram’s posting policies when sharing them.
One mom, however, said that Instagram made a huge mistake when removing her account.
Parenting blogger Courtney Adamo said her Instagram account was taken down, “by mistake.”
It happened after she posted an adorable photo of her daughter.
She figured it was an innocent picture.
She received several emails over, “people reporting her photos as inappropriate.”
However, she never was told which photos were the ones reported and why. She wrote on her blog :
“After a bit of research, I discovered that if you receive too many reports of ‘inappropriate’ images, it sends a red flag to the Instagram team and their automated service will disable your account entirely, without warning and without notice.”
Eventually, she found out which photo was the one everyone had reported.
It happened to be a photo of her toddler, Marlow.
The photo showed her wearing a pair of yellow rain boots, lifting up her dress and looking at her belly button.
At the time, Courtney didn’t think there was anything wrong with the photo.
Courtney thought she was just documenting another toddler milestone.
“I thought it was such a sweet photo of my baby girl and her gorgeous, round belly (and outie belly button). And I love that her pride is so evident in the photo — such a sweet and innocent shot of a successful day of potty-training,” she said on her blog.
Courtney even reviewed Instagram’s guidelines to see if she had violated them, but found that she hadn’t.
The only “nudity” in the photo was her daughter’s belly button.
“Unless a baby’s belly is considered ‘nudity’…but surely it isn’t!” Courtney wrote.
She said the photo was no different than a picture of a baby in its diaper.
So where does Instagram draw the line when it comes to “nudity”? What about a baby in a bathing suit, Courtney wondered.
The photo had been removed from her Instagram account completely.
She knew that there was nothing inappropriate or wrong with the photo, so she reposted it.
Instagram then decided to completely remove her account entirely.
For a blogger, that’s the ultimate slap in the face. And, four years’ worth of her photos were just completely gone.
She then decided to reach out to the platform and get down to the bottom of it.
After others posted her story online, the company finally realized — they made a mistake.
Instagram issued a comment saying they were wrong.
“We try hard to find a good balance between allowing people to express themselves and having policies to create and protect young children,” the company said.
The company said that the policies were there to protect children, but sometimes even they get it wrong.
“This is one reason why our guidelines put limitations on nudity, but we recognize that we don’t always get it right. In this case, we made a mistake and have since restored the account,” the company said.
And, the company restored her account as promised.
It just goes to show you, even big companies make mistakes, but it’s definitely a warning for all parents out there.
This isn’t the first time Instagram has come into conflict with parents over its policies.
The company also deleted one mom’s account in 2014 after she shared a photo of herself breastfeeding her daughter. The mom, Heather Bays, got her account back but with seven photos removed.
Instagram said they didn’t have a problem with pictures of Heather breastfeeding, but took the photos down because her daughter wasn’t wearing a shirt.
These cases probably won’t be the last time Instagram and parents disagree, but it’ll definitely make parents think twice before they post.
