Instagram restricts accounts that rely on reposting to promote original content

California —
Instagram, a subsidiary of Meta, announced a new update targeting accounts that rely on reposting content, as part of its efforts to promote the spread of original content and reduce duplication within the app.

Under the update, accounts that frequently post copied content will not appear in recommendation systems, including the home page and the Explore tab, even if the content is attributed to its original owners.

The platform explained that content is considered original when it is produced by the user themselves or reflects their creative fingerprint, emphasizing that minor edits such as adding a watermark or changing the clip speed are not sufficient to classify it as new content.

On the other hand, the reach of these accounts to their current followers will not be affected, but their ability to reach a wider audience through recommendations will noticeably decline.

This approach comes as part of a broader policy adopted by the platform to support original content creators and encourage the production of new materials instead of recycling circulated content, amid increasing competition among social media platforms to attract users and creators.