TikTok has temporarily suspended access to its late-night LIVE feature in Nigeria following a surge in livestreams containing sexually explicit content, including cases of users performing sexual acts before large online audiences.
The restriction was communicated to Nigerian users on Monday via an in-app notification, in which the company stated it was conducting a safety review to “ensure the platform remains safe and our community stays protected.” TikTok did not indicate how long the ban would remain in place.
Internal enforcement data shared during TikTok’s West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, revealed escalating misuse of the LIVE feature in Nigeria. The company reported that in the second quarter of 2025 alone, it issued warnings and demonetised more than 2.3 million LIVE sessions and penalised over one million creators for violating monetisation rules. Nigeria accounted for 49,512 banned LIVE sessions during the period, one of the highest enforcement figures across the region.
Late-night TikTok LIVE sessions in Nigeria had become notorious for hosting sexually explicit activity. Some creators engaged in erotic acts in exchange for virtual gifts, while others organised coordinated adult shows to generate rapid payouts from the platform’s gifting system.
The temporary nighttime ban prevents users from hosting or viewing LIVE broadcasts during hours most associated with sexual content. TikTok said the measure is part of a broader review of its safety protocols in Nigeria, noting that similar restrictions have been implemented in other markets experiencing spikes in policy violations. The company has not provided a timeline for restoring late-night LIVE access.
