• Platform bans 42,000+ LIVE rooms, expands helpline to Nigeria
• Dr. Ogunlana named Digital Well-being Ambassador
TikTok has removed more than 3.6 million videos uploaded from Nigeria in the first quarter of 2025 for violating its Community Guidelines — a 50 per cent increase compared to the previous quarter.
The disclosure was made in the company’s Q1 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, which details the platform’s global and regional efforts to foster a safe, respectful, and trustworthy digital space.
According to the report released on Tuesday, TikTok achieved a 98.4 per cent proactive detection rate in Nigeria, meaning the vast majority of the flagged content was taken down before any user reported it. Furthermore, 92.1 per cent of the infringing content was removed within 24 hours of being posted.
Despite the sharp rise in takedowns, the platform emphasised that the removed videos constituted only a small fraction of the overall content created by Nigerian users, which it described as largely “positive, educational, and entertaining.”
As part of regional enforcement actions, TikTok also removed 129 accounts linked to covert operations in West Africa in March 2025, reinforcing its zero-tolerance policy towards manipulation and disinformation.
In addition, the platform ramped up surveillance of LIVE content. Between January and March 2025, TikTok banned 42,196 LIVE rooms and interrupted 48,156 streams in Nigeria for breaching its real-time broadcasting standards.
“LIVE content enforcement remains a priority as we continue to protect the integrity of real-time interactions on the platform,” the report stated.
Global Efforts Mirror Local Trends
Globally, TikTok removed more than 211 million videos in the same quarter, up from 153 million in Q4 2024. Of these, 184 million were flagged and deleted through automated systems, achieving a 99 per cent proactive detection rate.
The company noted that harmful content still made up less than one per cent of total uploads globally, underscoring the platform’s evolving content moderation systems and safety protocols.
Strengthening Digital Well-being in Nigeria
As part of its broader efforts to promote digital well-being, TikTok Africa hosted the ‘My Kind of TikTok’ Digital Well-being Summit in June. The event brought together creators, experts, NGOs, media practitioners, and industry stakeholders from across Sub-Saharan Africa to explore solutions for a healthier digital environment.
The platform also announced the expansion of its in-app helpline to Nigeria, in collaboration with Cece Yara, a child-focused non-profit dedicated to youth protection. The helpline is designed to support users — particularly young people — dealing with sensitive issues such as harassment, hate speech, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts.
Additionally, TikTok named renowned healthcare professional Dr. Olawale Ogunlana (popularly known as Doctor Wales) as its Digital Well-being Ambassador for Nigeria. He joins the World Health Organisation’s Fides Network, which brings together frontline experts to tackle online health and safety challenges.
Through ongoing initiatives like the #SaferTogether campaign, TikTok continues to urge its users to report harmful content and play an active role in cultivating a safe and inclusive online community.
