Twitter bans account for sharing Pokemon collection
A user on Twitter was allegedly banned after showing off their Pokemon collection, with the platform saying they were 'promoting or encouraging self-harm.'
18th May 2023 14:10
Courtesy of The Pokemon Company/Twitter
Twitter bans account for sharing Pokemon collection
A user on Twitter was allegedly banned after showing off their Pokemon collection, with the platform saying they were 'promoting or encouraging self-harm.'
18th May 2023 14:10
Courtesy of The Pokemon Company/Twitter
Pokemon is one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world, with tens of millions of players purchasing each new title the second they're released. Safe to say, we've come a long way from Pallet Town back in 1996.
Of course, they are some fans who take their passion to the next level, picking up retro Pokemon-related games and items in the hopes of building up a huge collection.
Well, one of these fans is Twitter user CANTDIE, who decided to share their impressive Pokemon collection on Twitter. Unfortunately, the platform allegedly banned them for 12 hours because of the post. According to the OP, Twitter claimed it was "promoting or encouraging self-harm"
Pokemon fan banned after sharing collection on Twitter
Taking to Twitter on May 16, CANTDIE _ wrote, "Honestly, what the f**k" and shared the offending tweet. We know things have gotten a little wild since Elon Musk took over Twitter, but since when was sharing your love of video games a crime?
The reasoning given by the platform was that the image had "violated the Twitter rules" by "promoting or encouraging self-harm." As a result of this, CANTDIE claims their account was "wrongfully" banned. Luckily, Twitter eventually rectified its mistake and CANTDIE's account was restored to full functionality.
What caused Twitter to ban the account?
It's impossible to know the exact reason CANTDIE's post was flagged for promoting 'self-harm' when it was just a photo of a Pokemon collection.
However, it's likely this ban was enforced by Twitter's automated detection software, which ruled something in the post wasn't appropriate. It's seemingly because the content of the post mentioned someone losing their mind. This is concerning as it shows an innocent user can be punished for seemingly doing nothing wrong at all.
The person CANTDIE was responding to has since written, "Well. My son did lose his mind and say, 'That's really freakin cool'. This is insanity." While it looks like CANTDIE's account is back to normal now, they're not satisfied with how Twitter is moderating their platform.
We'll have to wait and see whether any other Pokemon-related posts get flagged in the near future.
About The Author
Alex Garton
Alex is a Senior Writer at GGRecon. With a BA (Hons) in English, he has previously written for Dexerto & Gfinity. Specialising in Call of Duty & Apex Legends, he loves (attempting) to improve his aim in competitive shooters and will always make time for a single-player RPG.
