TikTok Restricts Late-Night LIVE Access for Nigerian Users

• TikTok has temporarily restricted access to its LIVE feature for users in Nigeria during late-night hours, informing creators that the move is part of an ongoing safety investigation.

• The feature was inaccessible between 11pm and 5am, triggering widespread reactions from streamers.

TikTok has temporarily restricted access to its LIVE feature for users in Nigeria during late-night hours, issuing an in-app notice to creators as part of what it described as an ongoing safety investigation.

At midnight on Sunday, users received a system notification which read:
“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 showed that LIVE sessions, which had been active earlier, became inaccessible between 11pm and 5am, with affected accounts displaying a “No Access” label. The restriction also blocked users from viewing LIVE broadcasts from other countries.

Only creators with at least 1,000 followers, the minimum requirement to host LIVE sessions, received the notification. Several confirmed that all LIVE activities had been halted overnight.

Earnings Intact

Despite the disruption, creators who earn through LIVE gifting retained their balances and previous earnings, easing fears of financial loss.

By Monday morning, access to LIVE had been restored, prompting discussions across social media as users speculated on the cause of the sudden restriction. Night-time hours are typically peak streaming periods in Nigeria, with creators hosting matches, entertainment segments, trends, and interactive sessions that attract virtual gifts.

Safety Statistics Released

The development follows TikTok’s release of updated safety statistics for West Africa. During the West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal, the company disclosed that in Q2 2025 it had taken action against:

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• 2,321,813 LIVE sessions globally
• 1,040,356 LIVE creators for violating its monetisation guidelines

In Nigeria alone, 49,512 LIVE sessions were banned within the same period.

TikTok also reported removing 3,780,426 videos in Nigeria between April and June 2025 for breaching Community Guidelines, noting that 98.7% were removed before being viewed, and 91.9% deleted within 24 hours.

How TikTok LIVE Works

TikTok LIVE allows users to broadcast in real-time, interact through comments, and receive virtual gifts. To go LIVE, users generally need:

• 1,000+ followers
• To be at least 16 (18 to earn money)
• A clean account history
• Use the ‘+’ button to select ‘LIVE’ and start streaming with a title and effects