TikTok shut down late-night live streaming for millions of Nigerian users after explicit content flooded the platform during peak evening hours. The social media platform imposed a temporary ban between 11pm and 5am starting December 8, 2025, citing an urgent safety investigation.
Nigerian creators received system notifications explaining the restriction: “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.”
These affect creators who depend on evening streams for income, as night hours typically generate the highest viewer engagement and virtual gift earnings across Nigeria’s vibrant TikTok community.
Safety Crisis Prompts Immediate Action
TikTok’s decision came after reports of users performing explicit sexual acts during live broadcasts, with some creators organizing coordinated adult shows to generate rapid payouts through the platform’s gifting system.
The platform revealed enforcement numbers during its West Africa Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal. Nigeria alone recorded 49,512 banned live sessions in the second quarter of 2025, making it one of the highest enforcement regions across West Africa.
TikTok also removed 3,780,426 Nigerian videos between April and June 2025 for violating community guidelines, with 98.7% deleted before users could view them.
Nigerian Content Creators Face Income Disruption
The restriction hits Nigerian creators during their most profitable hours. Live streaming typically allows creators to earn $500 to $1,000 monthly through virtual gifts, with popular streamers like Peller earning significantly more during peak evening sessions.
Creators who earn through live gifting report that their existing balances remain untouched, preventing immediate financial losses. However, the ongoing restriction eliminates potential earnings during prime streaming hours when audiences are most active and generous with virtual gifts.
Many Nigerian streamers host entertainment segments, gaming matches, and interactive Q&A sessions that attract large audiences and drive gift purchases between 11pm and 5am.
Platform-Wide Safety Enforcement Increases
TikTok’s global crackdown on unsafe live content shows the scale of moderation challenges. The company took action against 2,321,813 live sessions worldwide and penalized 1,040,356 creators for violating monetization rules in Q2 2025 alone.
The Nigeria-specific restriction follows similar measures TikTok has implemented in other markets experiencing policy violation spikes, though the company hasn’t revealed which other countries faced comparable restrictions.
Creator Requirements and Access Rules
Only creators with at least 1,000 followers received the restriction notification, as they’re the minimum threshold needed to host live sessions on TikTok. Users must also be 16 years or older to stream live and 18 or older to receive gifts and earn money through the feature.
The platform’s live feature allows real-time broadcasting, viewer comments, and virtual gifting, creating interactive experiences that differ from pre-recorded content. This direct engagement makes live streaming particularly valuable for building creator-audience relationships and generating income.
Timeline and Next Steps Uncertain
TikTok hasn’t provided a specific timeline for restoring late-night live access as its safety investigation continues. The company stated the restriction will remain in place until it completes its review of safety protocols in Nigeria.
Morning access returned as normal, allowing creators to resume live streaming during daytime and early evening hours. However, the 11pm to 5am blackout period continues indefinitely.
The restriction affects both content creation and viewing, preventing Nigerian users from watching live broadcasts from creators in other countries during the banned hours.
