Guide: Reactions cannot be hidden
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/platforms/reactions-cannot-be-hidden
Topic: How Facebook and Instagram behave
Time: about 2 minutes
Who can do it: Anyone on your team
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: You know why an angry reaction cannot be moderated, and what you can do instead.
Context: Reactions are not comments. Meta offers no way for an app to hide or remove a reaction on a post or a comment, so nothing here can touch them.

Before you start:
1. Reactions on your posts are counted by Meta, not moderated by apps.
2. A comment can be hidden; the reactions on it stay.
3. The people reacting can be muted or blocked if they also comment.

Steps:
Step 1 of 2: Moderate the comments instead.
Where: The inbox handles comments and replies. A wave of angry reactions usually comes with comments, and those you can act on.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the inbox)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox.en.webp (Hide, on the comments themselves.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/inbox-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: The part of the storm you can actually control.

Step 2 of 2: Consider hiding everything for a while.
Where: The Hide all comments rule on that page, until the moment passes.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-whitelist.en.webp (Hide all comments.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-whitelist-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Nothing public under the post until you have read it.

If something is off:
Problem: Can I see who reacted
Fix: On the post itself, on Facebook or Instagram. Reactions are not brought into the inbox.
Problem: Can I turn reactions off
Fix: No. Meta does not offer it.

Common questions:
Question: If I hide a comment, do the reactions on it disappear too?
Answer: No. A comment can be hidden; the reactions on it stay. Meta offers no way for an app to hide or remove a reaction on a post or a comment.
Question: Can I mute or block people who leave angry reactions?
Answer: Only if they also comment. Reactions are counted by Meta, not moderated by apps, so the author controls apply to the comments a person leaves, not to their reactions.
Question: What can I do during a wave of angry reactions on a post?
Answer: Moderate the comments that come with it, which the inbox handles, and consider the Hide all comments rule on that page until the moment passes, so nothing is public under the post until you have read it.

Related guides:
- Hide all comments until you review them: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-all-comments-until-you-review-them
- Which comments cannot be deleted: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/platforms/which-comments-cannot-be-deleted
- Comments on ads: what Meta allows: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/platforms/comments-on-ads-what-meta-allows

Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/platforms/reactions-cannot-be-hidden.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt