Goodbye, Instagram: How Censorship is Pushing Sex Educators to New Platforms
Goodbye, Instagram: How Censorship is Pushing Sex Educators to New Platforms
Breaking Free from Social Media Censorship to Deliver the Sex Ed You Deserve
I’m old enough to remember when Instagram first launched. If you would've told me that Instagram would be the main platform where I taught sex education, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. But after my herpes diagnosis in 2015, that’s exactly what happened.
Finding My Voice
I started writing on my blog and, eventually, places like Thought Catalog and Elite Daily. The responses to what I shared, both good and bad, let me know that there was more to say, and more people to reach. I felt invigorated with purpose. That’s when I began incorporating my sex ed efforts into my Instagram feed.
Yes, the very same Instagram where I posted my selfies. If you scroll back far enough, you might even find one.
From 2016 to 2020, my Instagram evolved from personal professional (Goodbye @eld3393 and hello @sexelducation). I developed a brand identity, established colors, and curated a feed that was not only visually appealing, but also accessible and approachable for learning.
As my platform grew, so did the challenges of navigating increasingly strict content guidelines.
The Challenges of Instagram Censorship
Instagram’s policing of sexuality professionals isn’t new. In late 2020, Instagram updated its community guidelines about sexuality-related content. The terms stated that content violating their policy must meet both of the following criteria:
Criteria 1: Content that offers or asks for …
nude imagery
sex or sexual partners
sex chat conversations
Criteria 2: Suggestive elements
Contextually specific & commonly sexual emojis or emoji strings
Regionalized sexualized slang
Mentions or depicts sex or sexual acts
Imagery of human nudity
The guidelines explicitly stated: “If both criteria are met, it’s not deemed to be violating.”
It’s clear these updates were direct, unethical attacks on sex workers and sex work. Now, in 2024, Instagram seems to be silencing any account that even mentions sex, sexual health, or is associated with the gender and sexuality field.
Instagram added recommendation standards which apply to the accounts it recommends to users. These recommendations are governed by several content buckets, each with specific stipulations. You can find a more extensive summary on Instagram’s website, but here is a summary of what can’t be recommended:
Bucket 1: Content that impede’s Instagram’s ability to foster a safe community
Bucket 2: Sensitive or low-quality content about Health and Finance
Bucket 3: Content that users, broadly, tell us they dislike
Bucket 4: Content that is associated with low-quality publishing
Bucket 5: False or misleading content
Talking about sex falls under Bucket 1. Interestingly, there is a caveat that should apply to sexuality professionals:
“Digital imagery of adult sexual activity, except when posted in the context of medical awareness, scientific discourse or discussion of sexual health, or when it meets one of the criteria below and viewing is limited to adults, ages 18 years or older.”
Despite this, I’ve seen increasing amounts of sex educators, therapists, and sex-adjacent professionals lose their posting privileges, reach, and audience due to violations of Instagram’s latest updates. I’m one of them.
The Impact on My Work
These guidelines have severely limited my ability to effectively reach my audience on Instagram. Despite my efforts to comply and remain ethical, Instagram consistently flags my posts and account as “unable to be recommended to non-followers.”
I’ve re-written my bio more times than I’d like to admit. I used to be able to write out words like “herpes,” “sexually transmitted infections,” and “genitals,” but now? Don’t even think about it.
I’ve had to get creative in how I write and approach my content so that people can even find it in the first place. Swapping “sex” for “snacks” and other euphemisms feels counterproductive to my mission as an educator combatting misinformation and sexual shame.
As I pursue online sex education full-time, increased censorship makes it challenging —if not impossible— to reach a wider audience. Oftentimes, I’ll put hours into a post —research, design, and sourcing— only for it to reach under 100 of my nearly 50,000 followers.
Just when I think I’ve hacked the algorithm — censoring my speech, creating carousel posts instead of single slides, incorporating key words for SEO - my efforts still fall flat.
Why I Launched Sexual Health Wealth
Instagram used to be my favorite social media platform. I built my community, found my voice and creativity, and even found myself during some of the hardest moments of my life.
Unfortunately, I am coming to terms with accepting that Instagram is no longer a viable way to connect and build community, which is why I launched Sexual Health Wealth.
I need a space where I know my content will reach my audience, regardless of what sound is trending on TikTok, and a platform where I can say “sex” instead of “seggs”. I need a dedicated space to delve deeper than the current algorithm and community guidelines allow.
I want to give you the sex education you never had, but always deserved.
Is This Goodbye to Instagram?
While I am expanding my education efforts outside of Instagram, this isn’t goodbye. Instead, I am decentralizing my focus and returning to content that feels like home — writing.
This is where it all began. A blog, a story, and a passion for building and educating a community.
Now, I’m committed to creating a sustainable income from my sex education work so that I can deliver even more high quality content to you.
Sexual Health Wealth marks the beginning of this evolution. For the first time in a long time, I’m excited about what’s next. Currently, I’m posting new content to Sexual Health Wealth twice per week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.
In addition to Sexual Health Wealth, you’ll soon see me expand to other platforms like YouTube, courses, and more.
Your Subscription Matters
This is where I need your support.
Becoming a paid Sexual Health Wealth subscriber is less about accessing a laundry list of exclusive perks, and more about supporting me, as an educator, in creating a space where sex education can thrive.
Your subscription is an investment in the future of honest, uncensored sex education and advocacy.
I understand that we’re all under different financial constraints, but even a free subscription, or engaging with my posts through likes, shares, and comments, makes a meaningful difference.
To everyone who has engaged with my work thus far, your support means the world to me during this transitional period and further inspires me to keep going. Thank you.
This is an exciting new chapter, and I can’t wait for you to be a part of it.