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Breastfeeding mom’s Instagram account restored after online support

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

TORONTO – A Toronto mother whose Instagram account was shut down over the weekend is once again able to share photos after rallying online support.

Instagram contacted Heather Bays late Monday regarding her account. Though the mother originally alleged that her account was disabled due to images of her breastfeeding her daughter, Instagram said her account was disabled over images containing child nudity.

“[Instagram] told me that they are removing all the pictures of my children with their torso showing,” Bays told Global News Tuesday.

Bays’ account has since been restored, but the images in question have been removed from the account.

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“It has long been our policy that breastfeeding photos are allowed on Instagram. On some occasions, photos may also contain nudity and therefore violate our terms. Accounts may be temporarily disabled by our automated systems, but are quickly restored upon further review. Sometimes this might cause a temporary inconvenience, but we view it as a necessary step to safeguard our community,” an Instagram spokesperson told Global News.

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Instagram’s Terms of Use states: “You may not post violent, nude, partially nude, discriminatory, unlawful, infringing, hateful, pornographic or sexually suggestive photos or other content via the Service.”

After her Instagram account was disabled, Bays took to social media sites using the hashtag #SaveHeatherBays to rally support from other users to get her account back. She said she was overwhelmed by the amount of support she received.

“This certainly would not be happening without your help,” Bays wrote in a Facebook post after learning her account would be restored.

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