What Is Shadow Banning, and Why Does It Hurt Women’s Health?

Have you ever randomly thought of an influencer or business and thought hm, why have they not crossed my social media feeds recently? I wonder what they’re up to, only to search that person or brand on your favorite platform and see that they’re still very much active? If so, there’s a chance their account was shadowbanned.

Shadowbanning has existed for years, but the concept has recently come to the forefront of our consciousness. Because right now, we’re seeing reports of multiple women’s health resources being shadowbanned on social media.

So, what is shadowbanning?

Shadowbanning refers to a user’s content being blocked or made less visible on social media, usually without the user’s knowledge. For a while now, the conversation around shadowbanning has been fairly limited. For example: You may hear an influencer saying their post view count is down due to shadowbanning, and while the implications on that creator’s bottom line are pretty obvious, it may feel like no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

But right now, we’re being confronted with the real dangers of shadowbanning — because this isn’t just about hiding accounts, it's about manipulating narratives and, as a result, public perception. 

Research insights from Yale University, for example, point out the very real ways shadowbanning can sway public perception. According to the insights, platforms effectively select the content they show you — which means they can promote or demote any messages.

Right now, censoring content is particularly dangerous

Of course, this is also happening as trusted health information is becoming more difficult to access. With federal health websites going dark, removing pages, and altering information, we’re left (even more) in the dark about the realities of our bodies.

We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: the world of women’s health is a confusing maze women must find their own way through. Women’s health conditions are notoriously under-researched, and the world of women’s health is underfunded. As a result, even experts simply don’t have all the answers or tools to best treat women. On top of that biases are everywhere, and women are frequent victims of medical gaslighting.  

So what are women to do? In many cases, they turn to social media. Social platforms are frequent drivers of health misinformation, yes. But they’re also spaces where women can find community and expert-backed, credible insights and information — social media platforms also allow women to destigmatize health conditions or symptoms. 

It’s not just about how we treat women in healthcare settings either. Sex ed in the United States is deeply flawed — and, of course, policies that police women’s bodies (most notably, the overturning of Roe vs. Wade), restricted access to birth control, and misconceptions around sexual and reproductive health leave women to seek out their own information and paths to access. That’s where social content really has the power to bridge the gap between women and necessary information about their bodies. Shadowbanning content in this space directly threatens that. 

Need proof shadowbanning is happening? 

Hey Jane, a telehealthcare company that offers abortion-related healthcare recently shared that they’d been shadowbanned — according to a post sharing this news, Hey Jane’s account isn’t being shown to users who don’t already follow the account.

This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about women’s health content being affected by shadow banning: In 2022, research from the Center for Intimacy Justice revealed censorship of ads related to health ads for women and people of diverse genders. The research points out that even some salacious ads geared towards men (for example, a phallic image accompanied by the text ‘get hard, stay hard’) were allowed on Facebook, while much more innocuous women-centric ads were rejected.

And in 2023, Bodyform’s campaign for period products was silenced on social media for its use of anatomically correct names for body parts, according to Cosmopolitan UK. In turn, Bodyform released a report revealing some words that are censored on social media — including vulva, vagina, clitoris and discharge. 

One lesson nearly every expert in childhood development will stand by is this: teach your children the anatomically correct names of their body parts. This gives them the tools to advocate for their own bodily autonomy and boundaries. So why then are we not allowed to use those same words as fully grown adults on social media — and what are the dangers of not allowing these words on platforms?

Lack of information can be deadly

We’re in a true women’s health crisis: Women are dying (or nearly dying) due to abortion laws. Maternal mortality rates in the United States are finally dropping, according to the CDC, but the disparity between Black women are still far more likely to be affected than their white counterparts. What’s key here is that maternal mortality incidents could be prevented — and information plays a role here.

According to research from 2019, the lack of available information regarding maternal mortality plays a role. “As a result of these data problems, there is currently no clear picture available of United States’ maternal mortality levels and trends. This lack of information has a clear influence on related data systems, and on the ability of the United States to prevent these tragic deaths," the study’s authors write.

Information must be available to providers and patients alike

Yes, the findings above relate more to the medical community's need for increased data and information, and, of course, that matters. But it’s also worth noting that today, thanks to social media and digital platforms, providers and medical experts are able to gauge the health issues real people are facing. With all the dangers of social media, this is a bright spot; it enables two-way conversations between the medical community and the general public. 

As any woman will tell you, sometimes getting proper health care and attention from providers requires self-advocacy. And in order to effectively advocate, you need a base of knowledge. We get that knowledge on our own terms via the internet — and when we lose access to credible sources, we’re even more vulnerable to the trap of misinformation.

Digital platforms aren’t the only place where information can be shared and accessed, but right now, they’re key. In a dangerous climate for women’s health, they allow women to not only access credible information, but also to create communities around women’s health issues, symptoms, and more. They give women a chance to join the conversation. And right now, as access to those conversations is being threatened, there’s a real risk to women’s health at large.

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Zara Hanawalt is a freelance journalist and mom of twins. She's written for outlets like Parents, MarieClaire, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Motherly, and many others. In her (admittedly limited!) free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, trying new restaurants, and traveling with her family.