TikTok removes than 8 million videos in Q4 2024 in SSA, highlighting online safety

Source: © 123rf 123rf In sub-Saharan Africa, TikTok removed over 7.5 million videos in Q3 2024, rising to more than 8 million in Q4 2024—an increase of 14.06% quarter-on-quarter

This significant upward trend in its content removal rate across sub-Saharan Africa aligns with TikTok’s global standards for content moderation and community guidelines enforcement.

TikTok’s Community Guidelines Enforcement Reports reflect the platform’s continued investment in automated moderation technology, alongside human safety experts that enable the detection and removal of harmful content before it reaches users.

Globally, between July and September 2024, TikTok removed more than 147 million videos, of which 118 million were detected and removed automatically using these technologies.

In sub-Saharan Africa, TikTok removed over 7.5 million videos in Q3 2024, rising to more than 8 million in Q4 2024—an increase of 14.06% quarter-on-quarter.

Notably, 99.5% of these videos were removed before any user reports, underscoring TikTok’s commitment to proactive moderation and swift action.

A similar trend was observed in North Africa, where TikTok removed over 7 million videos in both Q3 and Q4 of 2024.

This represented an 8.70% increase in removals between the quarters, with 99.3% of these takedowns also occurring before user reports.

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Critical issues such as online safety, content moderation, and digital policy development

This was discussed, along with critical issues such as online safety, content moderation, and digital policy development, at TikTok’s second Annual Africa Safer Internet Summit.

Critical issues such as online safety, content moderation, and digital policy development were the topics of discussion at TikTok’s second Annual Africa Safer Internet Summit.

Taking place in Cape Town, the Summit underscores TikTok’s ongoing efforts to prioritise user safety in Africa while fostering an open dialogue with policymakers to shape robust frameworks that protect users’ rights while encouraging innovation and creativity in the digital space.

The Summit serves as an essential forum for best practices between industry leaders and policymakers.

By fostering collaboration, TikTok aims to ensure that digital spaces remain safe, inclusive, and conducive to creativity while balancing the need for effective governance and innovation.

In attendance were government officials, regulators, and industry leaders from across sub-Saharan Africa, including delegates from South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Kenya, and other countries.

Helena Lersch, TikTok’s vice president for public policy, reaffirms the platform’s commitment to user safety and the role of partnerships in creating a secure digital environment.

“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.

“This summit underscores the importance of collaboration between industry leaders and regulators in shaping a digital ecosystem that is both innovative and secure," says Lersch.

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#SaferTogether - Driving safer digital engagement

As part of its broader commitment to digital safety and education, TikTok is expanding its efforts across Africa through strategic partnerships and training programmes that promote digital literacy, safety awareness, and responsible content creation.

At the forefront of these efforts is TikTok’s flagship #SaferTogether campaign, which has achieved notable milestones since its launch in 2022.

Kenya

In Kenya, the initiative, run in partnership with Eveminet, a youth online protection organisation, has reached over 406,000 participants through in-person workshops across the country.

These sessions provided communities with the knowledge and tools needed for responsible online engagement, particularly among students, teachers, and parents.

By working closely with civil society organisations, educators, and government agencies, TikTok continues to integrate proactive safety measures into its platform governance, creating safer digital environments for young users.

Nigeria

In Nigeria, TikTok launched Phase 2 of the #SaferTogether campaign in partnership with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Data Science Nigeria (DSN) building on the success of Phase 1, which educated parents in major cities such as Abuja, Lagos, and Kano on TikTok’s safety features and mental well-being tools, the second phase aims to reach additional states and expand safety awareness among parents, teachers, and guardians.

Egypt

In Egypt, TikTok signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Journalists Syndicate to boost digital awareness, media literacy, and the detection of misinformation and online privacy risks.

As part of this partnership, TikTok and the Syndicate hosted a one-day workshop equipping journalists and media professionals with the skills to navigate digital technologies safely and effectively.

This collaboration underscores TikTok’s ongoing commitment to empowering media professionals and supporting a more informed and digitally literate society.

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Global Youth Council

Since September 2024, TikTok has also partnered with local creators across sub-Saharan Africa to raise awareness about its safety features and Community Guidelines.

TikTok is also making a significant step in amplifying youth voices by expanding its Global Youth Council for 2025, further strengthening African representation.

Originally launched in 2023 to empower young users and shape platform policies, the Global Youth Council has now nearly doubled in size, featuring 28 members from 15 countries.

New representatives from Nigeria, Cameroon, Canada, Qatar, and Australia will join returning members from Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, the UK, and the US for a second term.

The Youth Council plays an important role in shaping TikTok’s safety, well-being, and inclusivity policies, ensuring that young users have a voice in the platform’s continued evolution.