Overview
- Instagram, which announced the change Thursday, will stop recommending accounts that mainly repost others’ photos or carousels without meaningful edits.
- The update extends rules that have applied to Reels since 2024 to now cover still photos and multi-image posts.
- Instagram defines original work as content you shot, designed, or materially edited, while low-effort tweaks like watermarks, simple reuploads, speed changes, or bare screenshots do not qualify.
- The change affects algorithmic recommendations to people who don’t follow an account, and there is a 30-day path to regain eligibility by posting original content.
- Reporters link the move to feed-quality concerns after Meta disclosed a roughly 20 million drop in ‘family’ daily active users this quarter, a shift that could cut reach and ad revenue for aggregator and clipper accounts.