TikTok Restricts Late-Night LIVE Streaming in Nigeria
TikTok has quietly imposed a late-night LIVE streaming restriction in Nigeria, blocking creators from hosting or viewing LIVE sessions during late-evening and early-morning hours in what the platform describes as a “temporary safety measure” aimed at reducing harmful and sexually explicit content.
The move follows a sharp rise in violations, with TikTok reporting that it banned more than 49,000 LIVE sessions and removed nearly four million videos in Nigeria between April and June, insisting that the country’s safety landscape requires “special attention.” But the decision has triggered widespread anger among Nigerian creators, many of whom say the restriction unfairly punishes millions of compliant users instead of targeting repeat offenders.
They argue that late-night hours are the most active and profitable time on the platform, when comedians, gamers, musicians, and entertainers attract their largest audiences and earn the bulk of their income through virtual gifts and sponsorships.
With TikTok offering no clear timeline or criteria for lifting the restriction, creators feel stuck in uncertainty and fear that the blackout will shrink Nigeria’s vibrant creator economy, undermine livelihoods, and deepen frustration toward a platform that has become central to youth culture and digital entrepreneurship in one of Africa’s most active online markets.
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