By TIKTOK has temporarily suspended its late-night LIVE feature in Nigeria following a sharp rise in sexually explicit livestreams, including incidents where users engaged in real-time sex acts before large online audiences.
The restriction was disclosed to Nigerian users on Monday via an in-app notification. The platform stated it had launched a safety review to “ensure the platform remains safe and our community stays protected.” The company did not indicate when the feature would be restored.
During TikTok’s West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, the company revealed internal figures showing growing misuse of the LIVE feature in Nigeria. In the second quarter of 2025 alone, TikTok issued warnings and demonetised more than 2.3 million LIVE sessions globally, while over one million creators were penalised for breaching monetisation rules.
Nigeria ranked amongst the highest offenders, with 49,512 LIVE sessions banned within the same period.
In recent months, late-night TikTok LIVE streams in Nigeria have gained notoriety for hosting explicit sexual performances. Some creators engaged in erotic acts in exchange for virtual gifts, whilst others staged coordinated adult shows designed to generate rapid digital payouts.
The temporary ban now blocks users in Nigeria from hosting or viewing LIVE broadcasts during the night hours most associated with the spread of sexual content. TikTok said the measure is part of a broader overhaul of its safety systems in the country and noted similar time-based restrictions have been implemented in other regions facing spikes in policy breaches.
The company has not provided a timeline for reinstating late-night LIVE access, stating only that the limitation will remain whilst its investigation continues.
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