TikTok temporarily restricted LIVE access in Nigeria overnight for safety checks, affecting creators but leaving earnings intact

TikTok has temporarily restricted access to its LIVE feature for users in Nigeria during late-night hours, citing an ongoing safety investigation.

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At midnight on Sunday, Nigerian users received an in-app notification stating:

“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, active earlier, became inaccessible between 11pm and 5am, with affected accounts displaying a “No Access” label.

Only creators with at least 1,000 followers, the minimum requirement to host LIVE, received the notification. The restriction also prevented users from viewing LIVE broadcasts from other countries.

Despite the temporary halt, creators’ previous earnings and LIVE gifting balances remained unaffected.

By Monday morning, access had been restored, prompting discussions across social media over the sudden nationwide restriction.

Night-time is typically peak streaming hours for Nigerian creators, who host matches, trends, talent showcases, and interactive sessions during this period.

TikTok recently shared updated safety statistics for West Africa, reporting that in Q2 2025, 2,321,813 LIVE sessions and 1,040,356 LIVE creators were penalised globally for violating monetisation guidelines.

In Nigeria alone, 49,512 LIVE sessions were banned, while 3,780,426 videos were removed between April and June for breaching Community Guidelines.

TikTok LIVE allows users to broadcast in real-time, engage directly with viewers, and earn through virtual gifts, unlike pre-recorded videos.

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To host a session, users generally need at least 1,000 followers, be at least 16 years old (18 to monetise), maintain a clean account, and use the ‘+’ button to start LIVE streaming.