• TikTok removed 8 million videos in Sub-Saharan Africa in Q4 2024
• In North Africa, 7 million videos were taken down in the second half of 2024

TikTok removed eight million videos in Sub-Saharan Africa during the fourth quarter of 2024 for violating community guidelines, up from 7.5 million in the previous quarter, the company announced. In North Africa, seven million videos were taken down in the second half of 2024.

The increased removals reflect heightened moderation efforts across the continent, where several countries have criticized the platform for inadequate content control.

The figures were disclosed at the second annual African Summit for a Safer Internet, held last week in Cape Town, South Africa, which convened government officials, regulators, and industry stakeholders from South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Kenya. Discussions centered on online safety, content moderation, and the development of Africa-specific digital policies.

"Billions of people come to TikTok every day to create, share and connect and we're continually evolving our policies and practices to safeguard our platform so our community can discover and do what they love," said Helena Lersch, TikTok's Vice President of Public Policy.

Several African nations have recently taken action against TikTok. Senegal blocked the platform in August 2023, citing its role in disseminating hateful and subversive messages that threatened national stability. Before service restoration in February 2024, the government demanded assurances on moderating content deemed contrary to national values and public morals.

Somalia suspended TikTok in August 2023, alleging its use for distributing violent content and disinformation. South Sudan suspended the platform for a week in January 2025 following the circulation of graphic videos showing violence against South Sudanese nationals in Sudan. "The rise in violence linked to social media content in South Sudan underscores the need for a balanced approach that addresses the root causes of online incitement while protecting the rights of the population," said Napoleon Adok Gai, Director General of the South Sudanese Communications Authority.

In Kenya, during April 2024 parliamentary debates over a proposal to suspend TikTok for alleged propaganda, fraud, and sexually explicit content, the government opted for a co-regulation model. Similar regulatory discussions have occurred in Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Burkina Faso.

Despite the increased moderation and video removals, concerns persist about the effectiveness of TikTok's measures. A BBC investigation published March 3, 2024, revealed serious abuses, including young users' exposure to explicit sexual content, from which the platform allegedly indirectly profits. A July 2024 report by the Mozilla Foundation and AI Forensics highlighted security flaws in TikTok Lite, used in developing countries, that facilitate the spread of inappropriate content.

By Isaac K. Kassouwi,

Editing by Sèna D. B. de Sodji