TikTok has restricted late-night LIVE access for Nigerian users, blocking the feature during peak night hours.
The restriction began at midnight on Sunday, when the app quietly disabled all LIVE activities across Nigeria, preventing users from hosting or watching late-night streams.
In an in-app notice sent to eligible creators, TikTok said: “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.”
Affected users reported seeing a “No Access” label between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., confirming that the blackout was nationwide rather than a technical issue.
Only creators with at least 1,000 followers, the minimum requirement to host LIVE sessions received the notification. Many confirmed that during the restriction window, not only were Nigerian LIVE streams unavailable, they also could not watch broadcasts from other countries.
Creators who earn income from LIVE gifting said their balances remained intact, easing concerns about financial losses.
By Monday morning, LIVE access was restored. However, the temporary shutdown sparked debates on social media, with many Nigerians questioning why TikTok targeted late-night hours, typically the busiest period for match watch parties, entertainment shows, and interactive trends.
The move comes just weeks after TikTok released updated safety statistics for West Africa at its Safety Summit in Dakar, Senegal. The company revealed that in the second quarter of 2025, it took action against 2,321,813 LIVE sessions and 1,040,356 creators globally for violating LIVE monetisation rules.
Nigeria alone accounted for 49,512 banned LIVE sessions during the same period. TikTok added that it removed 3,780,426 Nigerian videos between April and June 2025 for Community Guidelines violations, noting that 98.7% were taken down before they were viewed, and 91.9% were removed within 24 hours.
TikTok LIVE remains highly popular among young users because it supports real-time broadcasting, audience interaction, and digital gifting. Creators typically need at least 1,000 followers to go LIVE, must be 16 or older to stream, and 18 or older to earn money from gifts.
