TikTok has temporarily disabled its LIVE streaming feature for users in Nigeria during late-night hours, following what the platform described as a safety-related investigation.
Just after midnight on Sunday, many Nigerian creators received an in-app alert that read “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.”
PUNCH Online checks confirmed that the restriction took effect between 11pm and 5am, during which creators were unable to go LIVE or view LIVE streams from other countries. Affected accounts displayed a “No Access” notice.
Only users with at least 1,000 followers, the minimum requirement to host LIVE sessions received the notification. Several creators told PUNCH that all LIVE activities were shut down throughout the night.
Despite the disruption, TikTok clarified that creators’ existing LIVE balances and previous earnings remain safe. This helped calm initial fears among those who rely on virtual gifts and viewer engagement for income.
By Monday morning, the restriction had been lifted, but the brief nationwide outage triggered widespread speculation online about what prompted the sudden move.
Late-night hours are prime time for Nigerian streamers, especially those who host football commentary, entertainment talk shows, dance trends, and interactive sessions. Many creators complained that the blackout coincided with their busiest hours.
The incident comes just weeks after TikTok published updated safety figures for West Africa.
At its West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, TikTok revealed that in the second quarter of 2025 it took action against:
2,321,813 LIVE sessions
1,040,356 LIVE creators
(global figures for breaching LIVE monetisation rules)
In Nigeria alone, 49,512 LIVE sessions were banned within the same period.
TikTok also removed 3,780,426 videos from Nigerian users between April and June 2025 for violating community guidelines with 98.7% taken down before anyone viewed them, and 91.9% removed within 24 hours.
TikTok LIVE lets users broadcast in real time and interact directly with viewers through comments and virtual gifts. To access the feature, users typically need:
At least 1,000 followers
To be 16+ (18+ to earn money)
A clean account with no major violations
Creators can tap the ‘+’ button on the app and select ‘LIVE’ to begin broadcasting.
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