Instagram users notice another ban language change as wrongful suspensions continue

Instagram has quietly made another adjustment to its ban notification language, switching from “sexualization of children” to “sexualization of minors” in its violation messages. The change appears to have happened within the past few weeks, and users caught up in the platform’s ongoing ban wave are documenting the shift as further evidence of Meta’s constantly evolving justifications for mass account suspensions.

I spotted the change after browsing through user reports on Reddit’s InstagramDisabledHelp community, where thousands of wrongfully suspended users have been tracking every modification Meta makes to its enforcement messaging. Screenshots posted by affected users show their suspension screens now reference “sexualization of minors” instead of the previous “sexualization of children” wording.

This latest terminology shift follows a pattern I’ve been documenting for months. Back in late July, I reported on how Meta quietly updated its child safety policies to allow complete account disabling for user interactions, expanding beyond the previous “restrict access” language.

This came just a few weeks after many users noticed their suspension reasons had already changed from “Child Sexual Exploitation” to “Sexualization of Children.”

Now we’re seeing another evolution in Meta’s language, with “children” becoming “minors.” While this might seem like a minor semantic change, it actually represents a significant broadening of the company’s enforcement scope. The term “minors” legally encompasses anyone under 18 or even 21 in some jurisdictions, compared to “children” which typically refers to younger individuals.

Users in the Reddit community are particularly frustrated because the language changes seem designed to cast a wider net for justifying bans. One user pointed out that in Michigan, individuals under 21 are considered minors in alcohol-related cases, potentially expanding Meta’s enforcement reach even further.

What makes this especially concerning is that many suspended users report they never interacted with any inappropriate content involving people of any age. The platform’s AI systems appear to be flagging normal, everyday interactions and then retroactively applying these loose violation categories.

The enforcement examples Meta provides haven’t escaped notice either. The updated violation screens now specifically mention actions like “repeatedly searching for, sharing, liking, commenting on or saving content that sexualises minors” and “joining communities or groups that go against our rules on child safety.”

The constant policy modifications and wording changes have users documenting everything for potential legal action. Many are taking screenshots of each policy update and suspension notice, creating a paper trail of Meta’s shifting justifications for the mass suspensions that began in late May.

Meta still hasn’t provided an official explanation for the widespread wrongful suspensions or outlined concrete steps to prevent future false positives. Instead, the company continues making incremental changes to its policies and messaging while thousands of legitimate users remain locked out of their accounts months after the ban wave began.