TikTok bans late-night live access in Nigeria amid safety investigation

TikTok temporarily disabled its LIVE feature in Nigeria between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. as part of an ongoing safety investigation, the platform announced in an in-app notice on Sunday.

During this period, users were unable to host or watch LIVE sessions, including broadcasts from other countries.

The platform sent a system notification to users stating, “LIVE Notices. TikTok LIVE Update in Nigeria. We’re temporarily limiting LIVE late at night in Nigeria as part of our investigation to ensure our platform remains safe and our community stays protected.”

TikTok Live is an in-app feature that allows users to broadcast in real-time, fostering direct engagement with viewers through comments and virtual gifts, unlike pre-recorded videos, creating interactive sessions for Q&As, talent showcases, or just chatting.

Creators who earn through LIVE gifting have been assured that their balances and previous earnings remain intact, mitigating concerns of financial loss.

According to checks by TheLeader, only creators with at least 1,000 followers, the minimum requirement to host a LIVE session, received the notification.

Several confirmed that all LIVE activities had been halted overnight, sparking discussions across social media as users speculated about the cause of the sudden, nationwide restriction.

Night-time hours are typically peak periods for Nigerian streamers who host matches, entertainment segments, trends, and other interactive sessions that attract viewers and virtual gifts.

This development comes weeks after TikTok released updated safety statistics for West Africa. During its West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, the company disclosed that it took action against 2,321,813 LIVE sessions and 1,040,356 LIVE creators globally for violating its LIVE Monetisation guidelines in the second quarter of 2025.

In Nigeria alone, 49,512 LIVE sessions were banned within the same period.

TikTok also reported removing 3,780,426 videos in Nigeria between April and June 2025 for breaching Community Guidelines, with 98.7% taken down before being viewed and 91.9% removed within 24 hours.