TikTok halts night streams in Nigeria after abuse reports
TikTok has temporarily disabled its late-night LIVE feature in Nigeria after a rise in livestreams showing inappropriate sexual behaviour, including incidents where users performed adult acts in front of large audiences.
The announcement was delivered to Nigerian users on Monday through an in-app notice, where TikTok said it was carrying out a safety review to keep the platform secure. The company did not indicate when the feature will be restored.
At TikTok’s West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, the company revealed data showing a sharp increase in the misuse of its LIVE feature in Nigeria. In the second quarter of 2025, TikTok issued warnings and removed monetisation from more than 2.3 million LIVE sessions globally and penalised over one million creators for breaking monetisation rules. Nigeria alone recorded 49,512 LIVE bans — one of the highest numbers in the region.
In recent months, late-night LIVE sessions in Nigeria had gained a reputation for hosting adult content. Some creators carried out suggestive performances for virtual gifts, while others coordinated adult-themed shows aimed at earning quick payouts through the platform’s gifting tools.
The new restriction blocks users in Nigeria from hosting or viewing LIVE broadcasts during the hours most linked to the spread of such content. TikTok says the move is part of a broader safety overhaul in the country and noted that similar temporary measures have been used in other regions facing spikes in policy violations.
The company has not given a date for when late-night LIVE access will resume as the review continues.