Pinterest users left confused by mass account suspensions

Pinterest is having some weird moderation issues. Reports of sweeping pin removals and account suspensions have appeared across social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X, with many users saying they received no warning or explanation about the ban before being locked out of their accounts. 

The r/Pinterest subreddit is also currently dominated by posts from confused users who claim their accounts have been suspended without evidence explaining how they violated the platform’s guidelines. Users are also reporting they’re experiencing an unusually high quantity of pins being deleted by Pinterest with absurd explanations, such as quilting magazines, cross-stitch art, and Minecraft bunk bed builds all being flagged for “adult content.”

“I got suspended without getting to know why, I don’t post and the only things I save are related to makeup, hair, fashion, beauty and stuff like that, definitely nothing worth getting suspended over!” said one Reddit user. “I have contacted Pinterest to have them do a ‘manual’ check but all I got was an automated response and I have heard nothing back in 2 days.”

“We hear your concerns about recent account deactivations on Pinterest,” the company said on X. “To ensure Pinterest remains a safe and positive platform, we continuously monitor for content that violates our Community Guidelines and accounts with violative content may be deactivated as a result.”

Pinterest allows users to appeal suspensions, but is reportedly issuing notifications saying that it can’t provide a timeline for the appeals as “our team is experiencing a higher volume of requests than usual.” Some users are speculating that an AI moderation algorithm may be responsible for the uptick in suspensions and pin removals, but Pinterest has yet to acknowledge these claims.

We have reached out to Pinterest for comment.