TikTok has revealed it removed over 3.6 million videos from Nigerian users in the first quarter of 2025 for violating its community guidelines. This figure, shared in TikTok’s Q1 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, represents a significant 50% increase from the 2.4 million Nigerian videos taken down in Q4 2024.
TikTok Nigeria: Community Guidelines and Video Removals
According to the report, TikTok recorded a 98.4% proactive detection rate in Nigeria, which means that most content was removed before users could report it. Additionally, 92.1% of videos were removed within 24 hours of detection.
The platform also disclosed that it banned 42,196 LIVE rooms and interrupted 48,156 LIVE streams in Nigeria within the same quarter. These actions stem from violations of TikTok’s updated LIVE Monetisation Guidelines and other community policies.
“We remain vigilant in our efforts to detect external threats and safeguard the platform from fake accounts and engagement,” TikTok stated in the report.
In March 2025 alone, TikTok removed 129 accounts in West Africa linked to covert influence operations.
Global TikTok Content Removal Figures
Globally, TikTok removed over 211 million videos in Q1 2025, up from 153 million in Q4 2024. Of those, more than 184 million videos were removed through automation, with a global proactive detection rate reaching 99%.
Fake Engagement and Spam Clean-Up
Between January and March 2025, TikTok removed:
- 44.7 million spam comments from fake accounts
- 4.3 billion fake likes
These actions target “automated or inauthentic mechanisms” used to artificially boost content popularity.
Legal Challenges in the United States
Despite its enforcement efforts, TikTok continues to face regulatory scrutiny globally. In October 2024, 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits against TikTok, accusing it of failing to protect young users from harm.
The lawsuits claim TikTok’s platform is intentionally addictive, particularly to children, in a bid to boost profits. Filed across New York, California, Washington D.C., and 11 other states, these legal actions seek financial penalties and stricter accountability measures for the Chinese-owned platform.
U.S. regulators argue that TikTok’s algorithms deliberately keep children engaged for long periods, raising concerns about mental health and the effectiveness of its content moderation policies.
The Bigger Picture: Balancing Growth and Safety
Despite these challenges, TikTok emphasises that harmful content still represents less than 1% of all content uploaded globally. “We are steadfast in our commitment to promptly identify and remove any accounts, content, or activities that seek to artificially boost popularity on our platform,” TikTok reiterated in its statement.
