TikTok has imposed a temporary overnight restriction on its LIVE streaming feature for users in Nigeria, announcing the move through an in-app alert sent out at midnight on Sunday.
The notice informed creators of an ongoing “safety investigation,” which the platform says prompted the decision to halt late-night livestreaming.
“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,” the system message read.
A recent review confirmed that between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., creators were completely unable to initiate or access LIVE broadcasts. Accounts that attempted to go LIVE during the affected hours were met with a “No Access” warning. The blackout also blocked Nigerian users from viewing LIVE content originating from outside the country.
Only users who meet the platform’s minimum threshold of 1,000 followers—the requirement for hosting LIVE sessions—received the notification. Multiple creators verified that all LIVE activities were suspended throughout the night.
Despite the disruption, creator earnings were not impacted. Those who rely on LIVE gifting reported that their balances and previous revenue remained untouched, calming initial worries about possible financial losses.
By Monday morning, the limitation had been lifted, with access fully restored. The sudden restriction quickly became a trending topic online as Nigerian users questioned the reason behind what appeared to be a nationwide enforcement.
The timing of TikTok’s action is notable, coming shortly after the company published updated safety data for West Africa. At TikTok’s West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, the platform revealed that in the second quarter of 2025, it had penalised 2,321,813 LIVE sessions globally, 1,040,356 LIVE creators worldwide, and 49,512 LIVE sessions in Nigeria alone.
These were flagged for breaches of its LIVE Monetisation policies. The company also disclosed that between April and June 2025, it removed 3,780,426 videos in Nigeria for violating Community Guidelines, with 98.7% taken down before they were ever viewed and 91.9% taken down within 24 hours of posting.
TikTok LIVE, which allows real-time engagement through comments and virtual gifts, remains one of the platform’s most active features in Nigeria—especially during late-night hours when creators typically host entertainment streams, sports commentary, and interactive sessions.
To initiate a LIVE broadcast, a user generally must be 16 years or older (and 18+ to receive gifts), have a clean account history, and select the LIVE option through the app’s creation tools.
