TikTok Bans LIVE Feature in Nigeria During Late-Night Hours
TikTok has temporarily restricted access to its LIVE feature for users in Nigeria during late-night hours, citing an ongoing safety investigation.
On Sunday at midnight Nigerian time, the platform sent an in-app notification to creators 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.”
Checks showed that LIVE sessions, which were active earlier in the night, became inaccessible between 11pm and 5am.
Affected accounts displayed a “No Access” label, and creators were also unable to view LIVE broadcasts from other countries.
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 were halted overnight.
Despite the disruption, creators who earn through LIVE gifting retained their balances and previous earnings, easing fears of financial loss.
By Monday morning, LIVE access had been restored, prompting discussions across social media as users speculated about the cause of the nationwide restriction.
Night-time hours are peak periods for Nigerian streamers, who host matches, entertainment segments, trending challenges, and other interactive sessions that attract viewers and virtual gifts.
The move comes weeks after TikTok released updated safety statistics for West Africa.
During its West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, the company revealed that in Q2 2025, it took action against 2,321,813 LIVE sessions and 1,040,356 LIVE creators globally for violating LIVE monetisation guidelines.
In Nigeria alone, 49,512 LIVE sessions were banned in 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.
TikTok Live allows users to broadcast in real-time, engaging viewers through comments and virtual gifts.
To host a LIVE session, users generally need at least 1,000 followers, be at least 16 years old (18 to earn money), maintain a clean account, and select ‘LIVE’ via the in-app ‘+’ button, adding a title and effects before streaming.
Titilope Adako is a talented and intrepid journalist, dedicated to shedding light on the untold stories of Osun State and Nigeria. Through incisive reporting, she tackles a broad spectrum of topics, from politics and social justice to culture and entertainment, with a commitment to accuracy, empathy, and inspiring positive change.
