The popular short video platform owned by Bytedance, TikTok, removed 2.1 million videos posted by Nigerian users in the third quarter of 2024 for violating its content policies.
According to the company’s Community Guidelines Enforcement report, Nigeria ranked among the top 50 countries responsible for videos that breached TikTok’s guidelines during the period under review.
Globally, TikTok took down a total of 147.8 million videos for policy violations in Q3 2024. The company noted that the top 50 countries, including Nigeria, accounted for approximately 90% of all content removals.
The removed videos were found to be in violation of several of TikTok’s policies, which include Integrity and Authenticity, Privacy and Security, Mental and Behavioral Health, Safety, and Civility, among others.
In addition to video removals, TikTok reported the removal of 214.8 million accounts, many of which were flagged as either fake or belonging to individuals suspected of being under 13 years old. The vast majority of account deletions, 187.3 million, were attributed to fake accounts.
Additionally, 24.3 million accounts suspected of being owned by underage users were removed, and 3.2 million accounts were taken down for unspecified reasons.
TikTok emphasized its ongoing commitment to combat fake accounts and other forms of inauthentic activity. “We remain vigilant in our efforts to detect external threats and safeguard the platform from fake accounts and engagement,” the company said. “These threats persistently probe and attack our systems, leading to occasional fluctuations in the reported metrics.”
The platform also removed 1.3 billion comments from videos, 1.1 billion likes, and 57.2 million fake followers, all of which were found to be generated by automated or inauthentic mechanisms.
TikTok reported a decrease in the volume of ads removed for violating its advertising policies during Q3 2024. A total of 1.9 million ads were taken down for policy violations, a reduction from 2.2 million ads removed in the previous quarter. The company assured that it is continually reviewing and improving its systems to identify and remove ads that breach its guidelines.
“Advertiser accounts and ad content must comply with our Community Guidelines, Advertising Policies, and Terms of Service,” TikTok stated, adding that it remains focused on swiftly removing ads that violate its policies.
Despite its enforcement efforts, TikTok faces increasing scrutiny from governments around the world. In October 2024, 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia filed lawsuits accusing TikTok of failing to protect young users from harm.
The lawsuits, filed separately in New York, California, Washington D.C., and other states, claim that TikTok’s platform is designed to be addictive and exploits children’s vulnerabilities to maximize profits.
The lawsuits amplify TikTok’s ongoing legal battle with U.S. regulators, with the plaintiffs seeking financial penalties and greater accountability from the company.
The lawsuits argue that TikTok’s software is intentionally designed to keep users, especially children, engaged for extended periods, raising concerns about mental health and the effectiveness of TikTok’s content moderation efforts.
