TikTok has placed a temporary restriction on its LIVE feature for users in Nigeria during late-night hours, a move the company says is tied to an ongoing safety review.
Okay News reports that the limitation began at midnight on Sunday, when creators received an in-app notification announcing the change.
The system message read, “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.”
Shortly after the notice was issued, LIVE sessions that had been active earlier in the night went offline. Users found the feature blocked between 11pm and 5am, with affected accounts showing a “No Access” label.
The restriction also stopped creators from viewing LIVE streams from outside the country.
Only creators with at least 1,000 followers, the minimum requirement to host a LIVE, received the notification.
Several confirmed to Okay News that all LIVE activities were halted for the entire night. Despite the disruption, creators who rely on LIVE gifting said their balances and previous earnings remained intact.
By Monday morning, the feature had been restored, but the brief nationwide blackout triggered widespread speculation on social media about what prompted TikTok’s internal investigation.
Late-night hours are typically peak streaming periods in Nigeria, with creators hosting gaming matches, entertainment segments, talk shows and interactive sessions that draw large viewer numbers and virtual gifts.
The temporary block comes weeks after TikTok released updated safety statistics for West Africa. At its West Africa Safety Summit held in Dakar, Senegal, the company disclosed 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 its LIVE monetisation rules.
In Nigeria alone, TikTok banned 49,512 LIVE sessions within the same period for breaching its guidelines.
The platform also reported removing 3,780,426 videos in Nigeria between April and June 2025, noting that 98.7 percent were taken down before anyone viewed them and 91.9 percent were removed within 24 hours.
TikTok Live allows creators to broadcast in real-time, interact with audiences through comments and virtual gifts and run sessions ranging from Q&As to talent showcases.
To use the feature, creators generally need at least 1,000 followers, must be 16 or older and must comply with content rules, while only users 18 and above can earn money from gifts.
