TikTok says it removed more than 3.6 million videos posted by Nigerian users in the first quarter of 2025 for breaching its community guidelines — a figure that represents a significant 50% increase from the previous quarter.
The short-video platform, owned by ByteDance, disclosed this in its latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report. The platform said the sharp rise in takedowns highlights its ongoing efforts to keep its digital space safe, respectful, and trustworthy.
According to the report, TikTok achieved a proactive detection rate of 98.4% in Nigeria, meaning the vast majority of offending videos were identified and taken down before they were reported by other users. In addition, 92.1% of those videos were removed within 24 hours.
The company also revealed that, in March alone, it dismantled 129 accounts linked to covert operations in West Africa, signalling a broader push to clamp down on misinformation campaigns.
Globally, TikTok deleted over 211 million videos during the same period, up from 153 million in the previous quarter. Of these, more than 184 million videos were removed using automation. The platform’s global proactive detection rate rose to 99% as its AI-driven moderation tools continued to improve.
Beyond video removals, TikTok said it deleted 44.7 million fake comments and more than 4.3 billion fake likes globally between January and March. These actions targeted fake engagement generated by automated or inauthentic means.
The platform’s LIVE streaming feature also came under tighter scrutiny. In Nigeria alone, TikTok said it banned over 42,000 LIVE rooms and interrupted more than 48,000 streams that violated its community standards in the first quarter. The company noted that while enforcement remains rigorous, harmful content still accounts for less than one percent of all content uploaded.
TikTok’s aggressive moderation drive comes amid mounting legal scrutiny worldwide. Late last year, multiple U.S. states filed lawsuits accusing the platform of failing to protect children from addictive and harmful content. In response, the company said it is constantly upgrading its systems to strike a balance between creative freedom and user safety.
