You know Instagram & YouTube are two most popular social media platforms in the world. We are using intagram and youtube in our daily life to share photos, watch interesting videos, and stay connected with each other’s. But you can’t even thing in mainland China these platforms don’t work at all. A travelers are surprised when they reach in mainland china and try to open the apps and see nothing loading. The reason behind this issue is not a technical problem it’s all about rules and regulation, control authority, and also local business interests.

The Great Firewall of China

China runs one of the strictest internet systems in this world. This is called the Great Firewall. It blocks foreign websites and apps that don’t follow Chinese rules and regulations. Not only Instagram and YouTube, many platforms like Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp are also blocked in china.

You know When Did the Ban Start?

• First YouTube was blocked in 2009, after videos of political unrest spread online. And the youtube is been unavailable for more than 15 yearsin main china.
• And the other side Instagram was also blocked in 2014, it’s a time of Hong Kong protests when people used instagram to share updates. It has now been restricted for over 10 years.

Why They Were Blocked

The main reason is not controlling content. Instagram and YouTube allow free and open sharing content. Which doesn’t match China internet policies. By blocking these apps, the government make sure that only careful and approved content reaches the public

See Local Alternatives in China

As a replacement for Instagram and YouTube people in China use local apps such as

• WeChat and Weibo for communication and updates
• Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) for photos and routine content
• Youku, Bilibili, Tencent Video as video-sharing platforms like YouTube

These apps are very popular and follow local rules.

Through Business Angle

After blocking these apps China also gives space for its own companies to grow. This keeps user data and advertising money inside the country china helps local businesses to grow in market.

Conclusion

Instagram and YouTube don’t work in mainland China generally because of strict internet policies restriction, and also support for local platforms. YouTube has been banned since 2009, and Instagram since 2014. If you are a traveler so you have only way to access them is through VPNs but businesses must rely on Chinese platforms to reach local audiences in main china.