A Sunshine Coast-based children’s mentoring program has been left scrambling after its Instagram account was permanently disabled, cutting off a key line of communication with families, educators and health professionals.
Juiced Up Groms founder Cam Best said the abrupt removal of the account had caused confusion among parents and concern within the wider community, with some fearing the program had shut down altogether.
Mr Best, who runs the program alongside co-founder Chris Windsor, said he received little warning of the deactivation from Instagram’s parent company Meta and had dismissed it as spam.
“We first became aware when we received an email advising that our account would be deleted within 24 hours,” he said.
“At the time, we genuinely believed it was a scam – there had been no prior issues, warnings or communication.
“Within that 24-hour window, the account was removed.
“Shortly after, we received another message asking us to submit identification if we wished to lodge a case. We complied immediately. Within 12 hours of that submission, we were informed the account was permanently deleted, with no further recourse.
“The speed and finality of the process was confronting.”
Mr Best said that aside from the automated emails, he had not received any meaningful response from Meta. Sunshine Coast News also attempted to reach out to Meta’s media team but received no response.
“What we are asking for now is simple and reasonable: a human review – an opportunity for context to be considered, for our changes to be acknowledged, and for a community-based organisation to be assessed fairly rather than purely through automation,” Mr Best said.
Local journalists supporting local people. Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your email at the bottom of this article.
Juiced Up Groms supports children and young people to build confidence, resilience and real-world life skills through movement, adventure and time in nature.
Its coaches work face-to-face with kids who may be struggling socially, emotionally or physically – often children who don’t quite fit into traditional sporting or classroom environments.
“We meet them where they’re at, build trust and help them grow through positive experiences in the community,” Mr Best said.
“For many families, Juiced Up Groms isn’t just an activity – it’s a support system. It’s a place where their child feels seen, capable and celebrated. That role is deeply personal, and it’s something we take enormous responsibility for.”
He said Instagram was a key communication and connection platform for the program.
“It’s where parents followed along with their child’s journey, where families felt part of a broader community, and where schools and allied health professionals could see the real-world impact of what we do,” he said.
“Importantly, it wasn’t about promotion – it was about visibility, trust and transparency. For many families, seeing their child succeed, try new things, or smile in an environment where they previously struggled was incredibly powerful.”
Mr Best said no specific post, story or piece of content was identified by Meta as being in breach of its “dangerous information” policy.
“We were not shown examples, time stamps or explanations that would allow us to understand exactly what triggered the decision. That lack of clarity has made it difficult – not just emotionally but practically, because learning and improving requires understanding what went wrong,” he said.
He said the Instagram account’s removal had caused “confusion and disconnection”.
“Parents reached out asking if we were still operating. Some thought we’d closed. Others were worried something serious had happened,” he said.
“For new families who had been observing quietly before reaching out, that pathway disappeared overnight.
“More than anything, it removed a shared space where the community could feel connected. That loss has been felt deeply.”
Mr Best said one of the most emotional parts of the experience was losing the content of the account.
“Parents have reached out expressing sadness, frustration and disbelief. Many told us how much seeing the content meant to them – not as entertainment but as reassurance that their child was growing, coping and belonging,” he said.
“Allied health professionals and educators have also contacted us, concerned that a positive, transparent community resource had vanished without explanation.”
Mr Best said Juiced Up Groms had strong safeguards across all areas of its work.
“This includes parental consent, strict child safety policies, trained and vetted coaches, professional oversight and clear internal guidelines around how children are represented publicly,” he said.
“Since the account removal, we have further strengthened our social media policies, reduced the scope of participant-focused content and implemented additional internal review processes to ensure full alignment with platform guidelines moving forward.
“Child safety has always been central to what we do – both offline and online.”
Mr Best acknowledged that protecting children online is essential, but said there must also be room for “nuance, transparency and human judgement”.
“Community organisations working directly with children shouldn’t disappear overnight without explanation. When safeguards are already in place and intentions are positive, there should be pathways for dialogue, learning and correction – not instant erasure,” he said.
“This experience has reminded us how much our community matters – not because of a platform but because of the people behind it. But it has also shown how vulnerable grassroots organisations can be when automated systems make sweeping decisions. The real cost isn’t to us, it’s to the kids and families who lose connection, visibility and support.
“We’ll keep showing up for them, regardless. We just hope the systems designed to protect communities can also learn how to protect the good within them.”
