‘Helpless’: Aussie teen cannoli chef battling Meta over Instagram ban
A teenage pastry sensation has been left feeling “helpless” after his business’ account was banned while studying his HSC.
Media
Don't miss out on the headlines from Media. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An Aussie teenage pastry chef, who relies on Instagram for his successful cannoli business, is battling with Meta after his Instagram page was banned with “no warning” while he’s studying for the HSC.
Zufi Abdul, 18, said he feels “helpless” after his ‘Cannoli Boss’ page, which reportedly boasted over 140,000 followers, was closed by the social media giant on July 11.
The Year 12 student, who is currently studying for his HSC trials next month, was told a video he shared to the platform had breached community guidelines relating to child abuse and nudity – a claim he denies.
In the 16-second video, which was also shared to TikTok, the teenager can be seen jumping around with his head in his hands, while the caption reads: “My Mum Yelling ‘Zufi! Go Do Your Work!’”
It then cuts to clips of Mr Abdul buying ingredients, showing off his various cannoli creations and talking to customers at a store.
“Okay … I’ll do my work … Cannoli hustling, not schoolwork,” he captioned the video.
TikTok has seemingly taken no issue with the video, which has not been removed from the social media platform since it was posted on July 8.
But Mr Abdul, who fell in love with cooking during lockdown, has been left confused as to why it was unexpectedly removed from Instagram.
“There was no warning, I was straight-up banned,” he told 7News.
“I knew I definitely didn’t do anything wrong,” he added. “I feel like my reputation is absolutely shattered.”
When he appealed the decision, he claims he was “told by them to seek legal counsel if I wasn’t happy with their decision and wanted to take it further”.
The 18-year-old had also visited Meta’s Australian headquarters in Sydney to try and solve the issue, 7News reports.
Mr Abdul said he is working to track down customers to reimburse them for orders he can no longer fulfil.
“I feel helpless,” he added. “I rely on Instagram.”
He is hoping Meta will reinstate his account and issue an apology.
News.com.au has contacted Meta for comment.
Originally published as ‘Helpless’: Aussie teen cannoli chef battling Meta over Instagram ban
Iconic Aussie magazines up for sale
The publisher of the Australian Women’s Weekly, New Idea and Better Homes and Gardens has put the magazines up for sale.
Labor’s big call despite Trump risk
Australia’s chief diplomat says Labor will not budge on a key issue affecting US tech giants despite concerns of backlash from the White House.