With more than 60 million active business pages, Facebook is still one of the most popular social media marketing tools for small-business owners. When this platform is your primary method of customer outreach, a Facebook restriction can be costly. Facebook restrictions keep you from accessing useful marketing features that make your ads more successful. 

In this article, we'll explore the most common reasons Facebook accounts become restricted, along with some strategies you can take to regain account access or avoid restrictions in the first place. 

What Are Facebook Restrictions? 

Facebook restrictions are disciplinary actions against accounts that violate community policies. Your account may be flagged or restricted because of spam, excessive activity, harmful or dangerous posts, or other community policy violations. 

You could lose access to certain account features or completely lose access to your account. Facebook uses a strike system, so you probably won’t lose complete access for just one minor infraction. One strike results in a warning. If you’ve been in good standing with Facebook, it won’t restrict your account for a simple mistake. When you have between two and six strikes, Meta will disable certain features. 

You usually don’t lose access to your account until you’ve received eight strikes. Facebook restrictions typically last from three to 30 days, depending on how often your page is found to have violated the platform's standards. If your content violates more severe rules, such as promoting dangerous people or organizations, your restriction could be longer, and you might lose access to your account even if you had never previously violated a guideline. 

As a business owner, Facebook restrictions keep you from advertising, and they lower your page’s visibility. If you’ve been successfully advertising on Facebook, these restrictions can set you back financially by hiding your page from potential customers. 

Common Reasons for Facebook Business Page Restrictions

If you’re not sure why Facebook has flagged your account, there are a few possible explanations. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, may restrict your account for one of these common reasons: 

• Policy violations and objectionable content: Content violations include promoting prohibited items such as alcohol or weapons. You may also violate Facebook's policies by posting deceptive or misleading ads.
• Intellectual property breaches: Intellectual property and privacy breaches, such as using another company’s logo or protected property without permission, will likely get you flagged. For example, if you find a photo online and add it to your post without asking for permission and crediting the creator, you’ve used their intellectual property. 
• Privacy breaches: Privacy breaches involve posting personal information about your customers or posting trade secrets. Something as simple as posting a customer’s address or phone number can be considered a breach of their privacy. If you’re using photos of real customers in your ads, blur out any identifying information, and make sure you get their permission before posting.
• Ad account issues, payment problems, and negative feedback: Problems with your ad account, including missing or incorrect payment information, can lead to Facebook restrictions. Additionally, if too many customers give you negative feedback, Facebook may restrict your account. 
• Unusual activity and automated security flags: Any activity that suggests your account has been hacked will trigger Facebook to flag your account. This could be anything from multiple log-in attempts from unknown devices to a surge in direct messages.

How to Check If Your Facebook Account Is Restricted

You’ll have an idea that your account has been restricted if you can’t post, comment, like, or use other features. If you’re trying to post and notice that certain features have been disabled, use a computer to log in to Meta Business Support. Check the "Account Overview" section to see any existing notifications, flags, or restrictions. 

If your account is restricted, you'll see a red notification with a list of restrictions and disabled assets. 

Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing a Restricted Facebook Page

If you’ve logged in to Meta Business Support and see warning signs and exclamation points all over your account, fix the problem by: 

• Requesting a review and submitting an appeal: If you think that Facebook flagged you for a policy violation in error, request a review. Click the restricted account and go to the “What You Can Do” section. Select “Request a Review” and follow the prompts. Meta usually issues a decision within 48 hours. In some cases, it will decide that your account did, in fact, violate the rules and leave the restriction in place. 
• Reporting issues to Facebook Support: You can also appeal your restriction through email or chat. Explain your situation in detail and request reinstatement. Be clear and professional, and understand that it might take some time to get your account reinstated. 
• Verifying your identity: If your account is restricted because of suspicious activity, you might be able to reinstate it by verifying your identity. Go to the Security Center, click “Start Verification,” and follow the prompts. 

Preventing Future Facebook Restrictions

Once Facebook has reinstated your account, take precautions to make sure you don’t end up getting another restriction by: 

• Adhering to Facebook’s advertising and community guidelines: Take some time to read the community guidelines so you understand potential violations. Even if you think you’re not violating a policy, something as simple as mentioning a competitor by name in a negative way can get you flagged. 
• Maintaining timely payments and avoiding suspicious activity: Ad payment issues are a common cause of Facebook restrictions. Avoid them by updating your payment information or using the autopay feature. Make note of the card you’re using to make your payments so you can update your information if it’s stolen or expires. 
• Implementing two-factor authentication and monitoring account access: Keep hackers from taking down your page by using two-factor authentication to access your administrator account. Restrict administrative access to your marketing team and social media managers to reduce the risk of a hacker compromising your business account. 

Keeping Your Facebook Business Page in Good Standing

The best way to keep your account from becoming restricted is to stay in good standing. Understanding how social media helps your business will inspire you to keep your posts within the guidelines. Start by optimizing your page using high-quality images (that you have permission to use), creating engaging posts, and posting regularly. 

Stay up to date with Facebook’s community guidelines. Meta re-evaluates its content policies based on user feedback, so 2022’s safe post could get you flagged in 2025. Check your account regularly to review your content quality and look for suspicious activity. 

Make sure your ads comply with Facebook’s rules. If Facebook rejects a high number of ads, it will likely issue a warning or restrict your account. Stay in compliance by avoiding sensitive or restricted content in your ads. For example, if you’re promoting an online sports betting website, you’ll need to reach out to Facebook’s support team for written permission and specific instructions, since online gambling laws vary in different states. 

Be cautious with your ad copy. Touting your product’s benefits is a proven ad strategy, but you need to make sure your claims are true. Don’t make any specific claims without the evidence to support them. When you’re posting positive information about your products or services, it’s best to back it up with case studies, research, or client testimonials so you know you're not being misleading. 

Improperly targeting potential customers also puts your ads at risk for rejection. If you’re inaccurately targeting your audience, you’re essentially spamming people with irrelevant content. Note that Meta also prohibits you from excluding people from protected demographics.

Working With a Digital Marketing Agency to Stay Compliant

As a small-business owner or digital marketer, you’re often juggling multiple responsibilities. You may not have time to read up on the advertising policies for all of your digital channels. Thankfully, there are professionals who can help you avoid the most common Facebook advertising pitfalls. 

Partnering with a digital marketing agency with extensive social media management experience takes the pressure off your team. At Optimize Digital Marketing, we've worked with clients of all sizes to develop digital marketing campaigns that get results while staying compliant. 

A trusted agency like ours understands the ins and outs of Facebook marketing. We'll work closely with you to develop impactful messages that fall within Facebook's ad guidelines. We also offer professional photography services to help you establish a memorable digital presence without risking intellectual property violations. 

We also know how to remove a restriction on a Facebook ad account and will lend our expertise to get you through the process. 

Trust your Facebook marketing to a team of experts. Reach out to us to learn how we can help.