Instagram users around the world woke up to a sharp drop in followers on May 6 after parent company Meta launched what is being described as one of the platform’s biggest crackdowns on fake and inactive accounts in recent years.
The sweeping purge has caused sudden losses of followers for celebrities, influencers, brands, and regular creators alike. Many users initially believed the drops were due to a technical glitch, before news emerged that Instagram had removed millions of suspicious bots and inactive profiles as part of a wider authenticity drive.
Celebrities lose millions of followers overnight
Among the biggest names affected by the purge were several prominent world figures.
American influencer and entrepreneur Kylie Jenner reportedly suffered the biggest drop, losing nearly 15 million followers in a matter of hours. Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo has also reportedly seen his fan base drop by almost 8 million.
Prominent music artists and entertainment personalities fared similarly. Reports indicated that Ariana Grande lost around 5.6 million followers, while Selena Gomez saw a drop of around 5.5 million. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift reportedly lost more than one million followers during the purge.
Dramatic changes have also been noticed by K-pop fans. Official Instagram accounts linked to BTS and BLACKPINK have reportedly lost approximately 7 million and 10 million followers, respectively.
The platform’s own official Instagram account reportedly dropped more than 10 million followers as the cleanup spread across the ecosystem.
Indian celebrities have also made an impact
The purge did not spare Indian public figures.
Cricket star Virat Kohli reportedly lost nearly 5 million followers, while global actor Priyanka Chopra saw a drop of around 4 million followers.
Experts and reports suggest that the changes were mostly related to the removal of inactive and automated accounts, rather than genuine audience disengagement.
Why Instagram Deletes Accounts
Instagram has long been conducting regular cleanups aimed at improving authenticity and limiting artificial engagement on the platform.
Bot accounts are often used to boost followers, likes, comments and engagement statistics. Many influencers, brands and communities of fans across social media ecosystems have historically relied on automatic or inactive profiles to increase visibility and perceived popularity.
Meta’s latest action appears to be significantly larger than previous purges, reflecting growing pressure on social media companies to improve transparency and trust in digital engagement metrics.
Smaller creators reportedly lost between 2% and 5% of their viewers, while mega-celebrities saw dips in the millions due to their massive followings.
Meta says active users were not affected
In response to the reports, Meta said the action was part of its normal enforcement efforts targeting inactive accounts.
“As part of our routine process of removing inactive accounts, some Instagram accounts may have noticed updates to their follower counts,” a Meta spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added: “Active followers remain unaffected and any reinstated suspended account will be re-included in the count once verified.”
Meta also clarified that legitimate users who regain access to suspended accounts can eventually be re-added to their follower count after completing the verification process.
The cleanup reflects a larger shift in social media
The crackdown points to a broader shift in the social media industry toward prioritizing authentic engagement over inflated numbers.
As advertisers and users increasingly explore online influence, platforms face pressure to ensure that follower numbers and engagement statistics more accurately reflect real audiences, rather than automated activity.
