TikTok has temporarily restricted access to its LIVE feature for users in Nigeria during late-night hours, citing an ongoing safety review. The social media platform issued an in-app notification to affected creators over the weekend.
At midnight Nigerian time on Sunday, users received a system alert 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 by PUNCH Online revealed that LIVE sessions, which were active earlier in the night, became inaccessible between 11 pm and 5 am, with affected accounts displaying a “No Access” label. The restriction also prevented creators from viewing LIVE broadcasts from other countries.
Only users with at least 1,000 followers—the minimum requirement to host a LIVE session—received the notification. Several creators confirmed that all LIVE activities had been paused overnight. Despite the disruption, those earning through LIVE gifting retained their balances and previous earnings, alleviating concerns about financial loss.
By Monday morning, LIVE access had been restored, sparking conversations on social media as users speculated on the reason behind the sudden nationwide restriction. Nighttime is typically peak streaming hours in Nigeria, when creators host entertainment segments, live matches, and interactive sessions that attract large audiences and virtual gifts.
The move comes weeks after TikTok released updated safety statistics for West Africa. At the West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, the company revealed that in the second quarter of 2025, it took action against 2,321,813 LIVE sessions and 1,040,356 LIVE creators globally for violating LIVE monetization rules. In Nigeria alone, 49,512 LIVE sessions were banned during the same period.
Additionally, TikTok reported removing 3,780,426 videos in Nigeria between April and June 2025 for breaching Community Guidelines, with 98.7% removed before being viewed and 91.9% taken down within 24 hours.
TikTok LIVE is a real-time broadcasting feature that allows creators to engage directly with viewers through comments and virtual gifts, unlike pre-recorded videos. To host a LIVE session, users typically need at least 1,000 followers, be at least 16 years old (18 to earn money), maintain a clean account, and use the ‘+’ button to select ‘LIVE’, adding a title and optional effects before going on air
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