I had the same thing happen. During signup it asked for my phone number but said it was optional. A couple of minutes after I created my account, it was locke

I had the same thing happen. During signup it asked for my phone number but said it was optional. A couple of minutes after I created my account, it was locked and they said it required a phone number to prove I wasn't a bot. I just closed out my account because I only planned to use it to follow some people anyway.