You will be amazed to know the 2022 survey results of the Ghost Data about Instagram. This survey reveals that almost 55% of Instagram accounts are usually fake. Well! It’s an alarming situation as these Instagram bot followers ( fake followers ) can damage your credibility, decrease your engagement, and even Instagram can report your account. Moreover, some bots can be associated with scams and phishing attacks.
That’s why the purpose of writing this blog is to make you aware of how you can identify such fake IG accounts and then remove them. So, keep reading this blog!
What are bot followers on Instagram?
“Fake accounts that follow you on Instagram, but do not exist in the real world, are referred to as bot followers.”
Moreover, such bot followers on Instagram don’t care about your posts. So, they never comment and like your posts. I’m sure that you might have noticed that there is an account that follows you but never interacts. If so, then definitely it is a bot.
Are Instagram bot followers free?
Do remember that some bots are free while some will charge money. However, if you come across a website advertising free bot followers, you should approach it with caution because they may require your account information which could be dangerous.
Should you use Instagram follower bots?
Follower bots are definitely not to be used by anyone trying to grow on Instagram. Although your follower count may appear to be increasing, in reality, it is the opposite. Remember, you’re guaranteed an increase in followers but no real likes, comments, or shares with even the bare minimum support. Hence, engagement on social media will still be the same as before.
However, if you want to achieve success on Instagram, real followers who value your work and contribute are needed. Bots cannot see your stories and do not share your posts, and thus do absolutely nothing to help foster a real audience. This is the very reason Instagram eliminates followers.
Thus, it is possible to wake up one day and lose many followers which could lead your account to be flagged and subsequently deleted.
Are Instagram follower’s bots illegal?
No. Although using bots goes against the rules of Instagram, there is no law prohibiting it. What this means is that if you do use them, you are essentially breaking the rules of Instagram which has its own results!
The downsides of utilizing bots
- It can harm your image: People would tell you that you are buying fake followers which can make them distrust you. If other users notice the bots on your account, they might think you are trying to game the system, and your reputation is harmed in both cases.
- Engagement Issues: Remember that regardless of how many followers you have, if they are inactive, then they will not like, comment, or share your content. Instagram will then assume that you are posting dull content which will lessen the amount of real people that are able to view your posts.
- Your IG growth can also be hindered: You already know that Instagram is constantly monitoring your account for bots and deleting them which can result in a significant loss of followers. Moreover, they could restrict your account or opt to delete it.
So, if you want to be successful, you need to shift your focus to real and organic followers who will genuinely appreciate your content and help you grow effortlessly.
Ensure your kids’ safety on Instagram
How to check and identify bot followers on Instagram?
Well, in case you have an interest in knowing if your Instagram followers are real human beings or bots, there are a few pointers that you can check. So, let us examine the procedure to help answer the question of how to check bot followers on Instagram step by step.
Make sure to check your engagement rate
You ought to see if people are engaging with your posts. If you have thousands of followers, but only a handful of people are liking and commenting on your picture, then there is an issue. Please keep in mind! Bots do not act the way people do.
So, Compare the likes and comments of your recent posts as compared to your no. of followers. If you have a large number of followers and there is little engagement, there is a high probability of having bot followers.
Apart from this, if you have more than 1,000 likes and close to no comments. It’s a bit alarming!
Also, when you start seeing comments such as “Nice pic, cool” or just emojis again and again, then it is time to move on!
Inspect profiles of suspected followers
After this, you have to analyze the profiles of those followers which you suspect to be bots. If they are bots, most likely their accounts will look very weird.
So, you have to pay attention and analyze the suspected profile. For instance; if you find below mentioned factors then, it would definitely be a bot.
- No profile picture.
- The username will be a completely random combination of alphabets and digits like user_3498fd.
- Few random posts or even nothing at all.
- High following and zero followers.
- No bio or filled with links or random words.
Verify their engagement
After examining their profiles, the next step involves analyzing how they engage with different posts. Since bots do not operate as human beings, confirming their activity is necessary.
So, start with checking their latest post. If it’s been several months or if there isn’t a single post. Moreover, if they leave the same comments like “Nice!” or “Awesome!” with no real depth or conversation, chances are they are bots.
Detecting bots using online tools
If you are among those who do not wish to check every follower individually, there are online tools created to help with the detection of fake followers. These tools will scan your account, and based on the analysis done, will highlight the bot followers. A few of them are:
- FakeCheck.co: Scans users’ followers and highlights fake accounts.
- HypeAuditor: Analyzes a user’s engagement rate and detects fake followers.
- Social Blade: Monitors account for drastic increases in followers which could mean bot activity.
How to remove bot followers on Instagram?
Keep in mind that bot followers on Instagram are completely useless to you. They do not engage with your content, and may even damage your account by lowering your engagement rate. Additionally, Instagram does not appreciate bot activity, so if you have an excessive amount of bots your account risks being flagged, or worse, restricted. For these reasons, it’s best to eliminate them as soon as possible. So, let’s get started on systematically cleaning them up!
Method 1: Manually remove bot followers on Instagram
For complete peace of mind that the bots are levelled, the most effective method is through self-removal. While this method takes some time, it is the most foolproof.
Step 1. Search and identify the bots:
- Open your Instagram account > Followers.
- Then, scan through the accounts and look for accounts that look suspicious. You can identify them using the red flags which I have already mentioned in the previous section.
Step 2. Remove each bot individually
- After identifying the bots, you have to click the three dots next to their username.
- Then, choose “Remove follower” from the options. Thus, proceed to do this for every bot in your list.
Now, the bots will gone. Moreover, they won’t receive a notification and won’t be able to follow you again unless they’re part of an automated bot system. However, if the bot keeps following you, block them immediately using the following steps;
How to block a bot account?
Step 1. Go to the bot-detected profile. Then tap on the three dots in the top right corner.
Step 2. After this, select “Block” from the list of options. Now, the bot will have zero interaction capabilities with your account forever.
Extra Tip: In the case that you have so many bots that you cannot keep track, begin with the most glaring ones first. Over time, set a goal to delete a certain number daily instead of all at once.
Moreover, a Qoura user named Gloria has shared his reviews on how you can stop bots from following you on Instagram. She said that you have to check Instagram hashtags, as some hashtags are more common in the bot industry which you may use on your posts. Thus, bots start following your profile.
Method 2: Use third-party Apps to remove bots
I understand that removing hundreds or thousands of bots can be time-consuming when done manually. However, having automation software to assist can ease the burden somewhat.
Recommended App to help identify and remove bots:
- Follower Analyzer: It will locate dormant and artificial followers.
- SpamGuard: It will find and delete spam or bot accounts.
- IG Audit: will analyze your followers to show the real-to-fake ratio.
- Cleaner for IG: Such software facilitates the removal or blocking of multiple bot accounts simultaneously.
How to utilize these tools:
Step 1. Simply download an app like spamGuard or visit their official website.
Step 2. After signing into the SpamGuard. You have to enter your Instagram username.
Step 3. The application will display the followers that seem suspicious.
Step 4. Now, Pick the bots and decide if you want to block or remove them. Thus, within a few minutes, you can effectively purge your account of bots and clean up your Instagram faster than ever!
Caution: Use third-party applications with care! Some of them could be dangerous depending on how they ask for your account credentials. Verify an application’s credibility prior to usage.
How parents can protect children from bot activity
Bots on Instagram are not just bothersome; they can also be dangerous, particularly for younger children and teenagers. Certain bots employ fake messages, and links, or even attempt to extract personal data from them. With your child not understanding that the accounts are fake, it becomes exceedingly essential for parents to intervene and protect their children. So, follow the below-mentioned effective tips!
Educating children on the dangers of fake followers and online scams
Children should be guided to learn the negative implications of bot activity for their own safety. Make it clear to them that strange links from obscure accounts can lead to scams, so clicking them is a big No. Explain how to recognize fake followers, for example, those associated with devoid profile pictures, usernames that do not make any sense, along an absence of meaningful posts. Instead of turning a blind eye, encourage them to block and report these bots.
Use of parental control apps to monitor activities
Moreover, the use of parental controls is one of the means of ensuring the safety of their children. However, from all third-party software, FlashGet Kids has come out to be the most trusted and reliable app to monitor kids’ online activities in real-time. It is an excellent application that can help supervise your child’s Instagram usage. For instance;
- Screen mirroring: It is an excellent application that can help supervise your child’s Instagram usage in real-time.
- Notifications tracker: You can also sync the notifications from your kid’s devices. Thus, you will also receive notifications on your own device related to Instagram. Thus, you will know who follows you and what type of comments they are receiving.
- Screen time: Besides digital safety, you also need to manage screen time. If kids spend a lot of time on Instagram, it would badly impact their health and studies.
In addition, I would suggest you make your kids’ Instagram accounts private. Another method to limit exposure to bots is by restricting DMs and applying comment filters on Instagram. As long as you guide and involve your child, you can ensure their safety as well as their online behaviour.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, you have to be cautious about your Instagram accounts. There is a possibility that some bot followers are on your account. You can identify them if you see that such followers have strange usernames, no profile pictures, and a lot of followers without even a single follower. Keep in mind that it’s best to remove them otherwise, Instagram will identify such fake followers and may report your account. Moreover, it would also impact your reputation. However, you can easily remove them manually and using third-party tools which I have mentioned in this article.
Apart from this, bots also act as scammers and send you links to steal your personal information. So, if you are a parent, then I would recommend you monitor your kid’s digital activities which would become more effective using the FlashGet Kids parental control app.
