diff --git a/docs/configuration/instance.md b/docs/configuration/instance.md
index bffec8f70..2a945eed2 100644
--- a/docs/configuration/instance.md
+++ b/docs/configuration/instance.md
@@ -171,4 +171,17 @@ instance-subscriptions-process-every: "24h"
 # Options: ["", "zero", "serve", "baffle"]
 # Default: ""
 instance-stats-mode: ""
+
+# Bool. This flag controls whether local accounts may backdate statuses
+# using past dates with the scheduled_at param to /api/v1/statuses.
+# This flag does not affect scheduling posts in the future
+# (which is currently not implemented anyway),
+# nor can it prevent remote accounts from backdating their own statuses.
+#
+# If true, all local accounts may backdate statuses.
+# If false, status backdating will be disabled and an error will be returned if it's used.
+#
+# Options: [true, false]
+# Default: true
+instance-allow-backdating-statuses: true
 ```
diff --git a/example/config.yaml b/example/config.yaml
index b618ad7ba..2b3a873fb 100644
--- a/example/config.yaml
+++ b/example/config.yaml
@@ -458,6 +458,19 @@ instance-subscriptions-process-every: "24h"
 # Default: ""
 instance-stats-mode: ""
 
+# Bool. This flag controls whether local accounts may backdate statuses
+# using past dates with the scheduled_at param to /api/v1/statuses.
+# This flag does not affect scheduling posts in the future
+# (which is currently not implemented anyway),
+# nor can it prevent remote accounts from backdating their own statuses.
+#
+# If true, all local accounts may backdate statuses.
+# If false, status backdating will be disabled and an error will be returned if it's used.
+#
+# Options: [true, false]
+# Default: true
+instance-allow-backdating-statuses: true
+
 ###########################
 ##### ACCOUNTS CONFIG #####
 ###########################
diff --git a/internal/config/config.go b/internal/config/config.go
index 33003d0f9..8ce2105b4 100644
--- a/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/internal/config/config.go
@@ -91,6 +91,7 @@ type Configuration struct {
 	InstanceSubscriptionsProcessFrom  string             `name:"instance-subscriptions-process-from" usage:"Time of day from which to start running instance subscriptions processing jobs. Should be in the format 'hh:mm:ss', eg., '15:04:05'."`
 	InstanceSubscriptionsProcessEvery time.Duration      `name:"instance-subscriptions-process-every" usage:"Period to elapse between instance subscriptions processing jobs, starting from instance-subscriptions-process-from."`
 	InstanceStatsMode                 string             `name:"instance-stats-mode" usage:"Allows you to customize the way stats are served to crawlers: one of '', 'serve', 'zero', 'baffle'. Home page stats remain unchanged."`
+	InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses   bool               `name:"instance-allow-backdating-statuses" usage:"Allow local accounts to backdate statuses using the scheduled_at param to /api/v1/statuses"`
 
 	AccountsRegistrationOpen         bool `name:"accounts-registration-open" usage:"Allow anyone to submit an account signup request. If false, server will be invite-only."`
 	AccountsReasonRequired           bool `name:"accounts-reason-required" usage:"Do new account signups require a reason to be submitted on registration?"`
diff --git a/internal/config/defaults.go b/internal/config/defaults.go
index 7f66e4209..78a8230d5 100644
--- a/internal/config/defaults.go
+++ b/internal/config/defaults.go
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ var Defaults = Configuration{
 	InstanceLanguages:                 make(language.Languages, 0),
 	InstanceSubscriptionsProcessFrom:  "23:00",        // 11pm,
 	InstanceSubscriptionsProcessEvery: 24 * time.Hour, // 1/day.
+	InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses:   true,
 
 	AccountsRegistrationOpen:         false,
 	AccountsReasonRequired:           true,
diff --git a/internal/config/flags.go b/internal/config/flags.go
index d67085d6d..3a2564c94 100644
--- a/internal/config/flags.go
+++ b/internal/config/flags.go
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ func (s *ConfigState) AddServerFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 		cmd.Flags().String(InstanceSubscriptionsProcessFromFlag(), cfg.InstanceSubscriptionsProcessFrom, fieldtag("InstanceSubscriptionsProcessFrom", "usage"))
 		cmd.Flags().Duration(InstanceSubscriptionsProcessEveryFlag(), cfg.InstanceSubscriptionsProcessEvery, fieldtag("InstanceSubscriptionsProcessEvery", "usage"))
 		cmd.Flags().String(InstanceStatsModeFlag(), cfg.InstanceStatsMode, fieldtag("InstanceStatsMode", "usage"))
+		cmd.Flags().Bool(InstanceAllowBackdatingStatusesFlag(), cfg.InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses, fieldtag("InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses", "usage"))
 
 		// Accounts
 		cmd.Flags().Bool(AccountsRegistrationOpenFlag(), cfg.AccountsRegistrationOpen, fieldtag("AccountsRegistrationOpen", "usage"))
diff --git a/internal/config/helpers.gen.go b/internal/config/helpers.gen.go
index d3ccf16ea..156c19fd5 100644
--- a/internal/config/helpers.gen.go
+++ b/internal/config/helpers.gen.go
@@ -1082,6 +1082,31 @@ func GetInstanceStatsMode() string { return global.GetInstanceStatsMode() }
 // SetInstanceStatsMode safely sets the value for global configuration 'InstanceStatsMode' field
 func SetInstanceStatsMode(v string) { global.SetInstanceStatsMode(v) }
 
+// GetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses safely fetches the Configuration value for state's 'InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses' field
+func (st *ConfigState) GetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses() (v bool) {
+	st.mutex.RLock()
+	v = st.config.InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses
+	st.mutex.RUnlock()
+	return
+}
+
+// SetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses safely sets the Configuration value for state's 'InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses' field
+func (st *ConfigState) SetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses(v bool) {
+	st.mutex.Lock()
+	defer st.mutex.Unlock()
+	st.config.InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses = v
+	st.reloadToViper()
+}
+
+// InstanceAllowBackdatingStatusesFlag returns the flag name for the 'InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses' field
+func InstanceAllowBackdatingStatusesFlag() string { return "instance-allow-backdating-statuses" }
+
+// GetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses safely fetches the value for global configuration 'InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses' field
+func GetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses() bool { return global.GetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses() }
+
+// SetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses safely sets the value for global configuration 'InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses' field
+func SetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses(v bool) { global.SetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses(v) }
+
 // GetAccountsRegistrationOpen safely fetches the Configuration value for state's 'AccountsRegistrationOpen' field
 func (st *ConfigState) GetAccountsRegistrationOpen() (v bool) {
 	st.mutex.RLock()
diff --git a/internal/processing/status/create.go b/internal/processing/status/create.go
index 0e0a851bc..46052d0aa 100644
--- a/internal/processing/status/create.go
+++ b/internal/processing/status/create.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/ap"
 	apimodel "github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/api/model"
+	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/config"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/db"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/gtscontext"
 	"github.com/superseriousbusiness/gotosocial/internal/gtserror"
@@ -111,6 +112,25 @@ func (p *Processor) Create(
 		}
 
 		// If not scheduled into the future, this status is being backfilled.
+		if !config.GetInstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses() {
+			const errText = "backdating statuses has been disabled on this instance"
+			err := gtserror.New(errText)
+			return nil, gtserror.NewErrorForbidden(err)
+		}
+
+		// Statuses can't be backdated to or before the UNIX epoch
+		// since this would prevent generating a ULID.
+		// If backdated even further to the Go epoch,
+		// this would also cause issues with time.Time.IsZero() checks
+		// that normally signify an absent optional time,
+		// but this check covers both cases.
+		if scheduledAt.Compare(time.UnixMilli(0)) <= 0 {
+			const errText = "statuses can't be backdated to or before the UNIX epoch"
+			err := gtserror.New(errText)
+			return nil, gtserror.NewErrorNotAcceptable(err, errText)
+		}
+
+		// Allow the backfill and generate an appropriate ID for the creation time.
 		backfill = true
 		createdAt = scheduledAt
 		var err error
diff --git a/test/envparsing.sh b/test/envparsing.sh
index 0e7c0db20..fc6afbcc2 100755
--- a/test/envparsing.sh
+++ b/test/envparsing.sh
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ EXPECT=$(cat << "EOF"
         "timeout": 30000000000,
         "tls-insecure-skip-verify": false
     },
+    "instance-allow-backdating-statuses": true,
     "instance-deliver-to-shared-inboxes": false,
     "instance-expose-peers": true,
     "instance-expose-public-timeline": true,
diff --git a/testrig/config.go b/testrig/config.go
index f68a8ffb7..9f17530c4 100644
--- a/testrig/config.go
+++ b/testrig/config.go
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ func testDefaults() config.Configuration {
 		},
 		InstanceSubscriptionsProcessFrom:  "23:00",        // 11pm,
 		InstanceSubscriptionsProcessEvery: 24 * time.Hour, // 1/day.
+		InstanceAllowBackdatingStatuses:   true,
 
 		AccountsRegistrationOpen:         true,
 		AccountsReasonRequired:           true,