Cherie DeVille lives in constant fear of losing her 3.7 million Instagram followers. DeVille is a famous porn star who also has an OnlyFans account. She is one of many artists who have built a significant presence on Instagram, which now serves as an important part of their personal marketing.
Over the past seven years, DeVille says, platforms like Instagram have become "absolutely invaluable" for driving traffic to the personal websites where artists make money. And while people like her have long had to be careful to stay within Instagram's rules, many say the company's moderation efforts have become more punitive and less predictable since a 2018 following the passage of a federal law targeting human trafficking on the internet, under the name FOSTA-SESTA.
Ten representatives of the sex industry who chatted with NBC News, said that they make every effort to comply with Instagram's rules, fully aware that their content can be removed and their accounts restricted in any what a moment However, they say Instagram removes their content, bans or suspends their accounts even when they believe they are following the platform's rules.
Many adult stars who spoke to NBC News said they believe the rules are applied inconsistently, noting that many celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears post risque and near-nude photos and are not subject to such bans.
“When our accounts are ripped away without breaking community guidelines, you might not be able to pay rent, you might not be able to pay your mortgage, you might not be able to feed yourself,” DeVille said.
“We don’t want anyone to feel marginalized by our policies, including adult creators, but it’s important to consider our youngest users when we decide what we do and don’t allow on Instagram, as teens as young as 13 use our platform,” said a Meta spokesperson in a statement, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
Moderation around sex has become so large-scale that a wide variety of accounts have faced restrictions. Since 2020, accounts that post about sex education have reported unexpected deactivations that can be appealed, but their posts are permanently removed by the platform.
Erika Moen, an artist and writer who creates educational content about the body and sex, believes that Instagram can be a particularly important platform.
"It's their resource for finding that information," Moen said, citing recent efforts to promote sexuality education in schools and libraries.
Multiple people who spoke to NBC News said their content was banned on Instagram under its sexual harassment policy. According to this policy, Meta allows discussion of “sex worker rights advocacy” but doesn’t allow content that “facilitates, encourages or coordinates” commercial sex work, to avoid facilitating sex trafficking.
The policy was implemented in October 2018, six months after the signing of FOSTA-SESTA, which holds tech companies accountable if prostitution ads are found on their websites.