Facebook restricts profiles and pages for violating its Community Standards or Terms of Service. Restrictions can last anywhere from 24 hours to indefinitely, depending on the severity and frequency of the violation(s). Here’s an overview of how long Facebook commonly restricts accounts for different infractions:
24-Hour Restrictions
Facebook will often issue 24-hour restrictions for minor first-time offenses, such as:
- Posting spam
- Posting clickbait or sensational content
- Posting false or misleading information
- Violating Facebook’s rules around selling regulated goods
A 24-hour restriction means you cannot post, comment, react, or access messenger during that period. Your profile and page remain visible, but you cannot actively engage.
3-Day and 7-Day Restrictions
Repeated minor offenses will result in longer restrictions of 3 or 7 days. Some examples of violations that warrant these short-term restrictions include:
- Continuing to post clickbait or sensational content
- Repeated sharing of false news or misinformation
- Using abusive language or cursing in posts/comments
- Minor copyright and trademark infringements
As with 24-hour restrictions, you cannot actively post or engage during 3-day and 7-day restrictions. The duration depends on the severity and frequency of infractions.
30-Day Restrictions
One month restrictions are issued for more serious violations like:
- Harassment and bullying
- Hate speech or threats
- Impersonating others
- Spreading harmful misinformation
- Posting content showing dangerous behavior
- Severely violating intellectual property policies
30 days is often a final warning before indefinite restrictions. You cannot post or engage during this period.
60-90 Day Restrictions
For dangerous or highly offensive violations that don’t quite warrant indefinite restrictions, Facebook may impose 60-90 day restrictions, including for:
- Making direct threats of harm
- Posting terrorist or violent extremist content
- Severe harassment, stalking or bullying
- Highly offensive hate speech
As before, you cannot use your profile or page during these long-term restrictions.
Indefinite Restrictions
In some cases, Facebook will restrict profiles and pages indefinitely. Reasons include:
- Severely violating Community Standards multiple times
- Posting dangerous, criminal or highly unethical content
- Creating fake accounts or identities
- Coordinating harm or spreading viral misinformation
- Committing cybersquatting or username squatting
- Spamming or compromised accounts
Indefinite restrictions result in permanent loss of posting privileges and removal from search results. However, your profile remains visible to friends.
Account Deletion
The most severe enforcement measure Facebook can take is deleting your account entirely. Reasons your account may get deleted include:
- Committing identity fraud or stealing accounts
- Engaging in payment or credit fraud
- Performing account selling or buying
- Creating fake accounts or compromising others’ accounts
- Posting child exploitative imagery
- Posting terrorist content or recruiting
Deleted accounts are permanently removed, along with all content, friends, photos, and data associated with them.
Appealing Restrictions
If you believe your restriction was imposed unfairly or incorrectly, you can appeal it by:
- Clicking “Disagree With Decision” on the restriction notice
- Selecting the content that was removed/restricted
- Explaining why you believe Facebook made an error
However, appeals are rarely successful for indefinite restrictions or account deletions, as Facebook thoroughly reviews these cases before taking such measures.
Avoiding Restrictions
To reduce your risk of getting restricted, be sure to:
- Carefully review Facebook’s Terms and Community Standards
- Post authentic, helpful, respectful content
- Respond calmly to disagreements or reports
- Add friends selectively and avoid strangers
- Use proper security measures like two-factor authentication
Keeping your profile positive and secure makes it less likely to trigger Facebook’s restriction algorithms.
Conclusion
In summary, minor Facebook restrictions usually last 24 hours to 7 days. More serious or repeated violations can prompt 30, 60, or 90-day restrictions. Permanent loss of account privileges and deletion are reserved for the most egregious offenses. Avoid restrictions by being thoughtful in how you use the platform.