If your follower count randomly dropped overnight, don’t panic – your friends probably didn’t suddenly decide to block you en masse. Instagram has reportedly been doing a major clean-up sweep, deleting millions of fake, inactive, bot, and long-forgotten accounts across the platform. Which means yes, your teenage finsta that only followed One Direction update accounts and posted blurry party photos from 2016 may have finally met its end. RIP.

It's the latest in a swathe of new updates across the app – from testing a new paid subscription tier that could change Story viewing, to removing end-to-end message encryption to allow AI use.

If you want to know more about the sweeping change on the platform that took place overnight, we've got all your burning questions answered below...

Why is Instagram removing followers?

Instagram regularly removes accounts that appear fake, inactive, or created by bots. This latest purge seems to be one of the biggest yet, with millions of accounts disappearing within hours (big celebrity accounts naturally attract more fake followers and spam accounts, so they were some of the biggest losers in this purge). The goal of these kinds of actions is obviously to improve the quality of the platform by reducing spam and fake engagement. So, accounts that gained followers through third-party apps or purchased followers may have been affected the most.

Is AI causing problems?

Many users believe Instagram’s new AI moderation system could be behind some accidental bans and follower losses. Instagram has reportedly increased its use of artificial intelligence to detect suspicious behaviour, fake engagement, and reposted content. While this helps clean up the platform, some users fear the system may incorrectly flag genuine accounts.

What should you do if your account was affected?

If your Instagram account was accidentally deleted, Instagram suggest to attempt to log in immediately to see if it is within the 30-day grace period for recovery. If the account has been disabled for violating guidelines, appeal through the app or Instagram Help Center. If permanently deleted after 30 days, it usually cannot be recovered, but you may be able to create a new one using the same email.

If your follower count suddenly dropped, there are a few things you can do. First, check your “Account Status” inside Instagram settings to see if there are any restrictions. It is also a good idea to remove any third-party follower tracking apps connected to your account. Most importantly, focus on posting original and authentic content, as Instagram’s latest updates appear to reward originality more than ever before.