TikTok removed more than 1.1 million videos uploaded in South Africa during the first quarter of 2026 as the social media giant intensified efforts to clamp down on harmful content and protect younger users.
According to TikTok’s latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, the platform removed 1,192,526 videos in South Africa between January and March after they were found to be in violation of its rules.
The report shows that 99.6% of the offending videos were detected and removed before they were reported by users, while 94.9% were taken down within 24 hours of being posted.
TikTok deploys AI tools
The figures reflect TikTok’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence and automated moderation tools to identify content that breaches its policies before it spreads widely.
Globally, TikTok removed more than 184 million videos during the same period, representing about 0.5% of all content uploaded to the platform. Of those, over 178 million were detected through automated systems, while approximately 8.8 million videos were later reinstated after further review.
Crackdown on underage users
The platform also continued its crackdown on underage users. In South Africa alone, TikTok deleted more than 346 000 accounts suspected of belonging to children younger than 13, the minimum age required to use the platform.
TikTok also reported increased enforcement on its LIVE streaming feature. More than 141,000 LIVE rooms in South Africa were interrupted after violating the platform’s community guidelines.
Worldwide, TikTok issued warnings, demonetised content or took other enforcement action against more than 58.2 million LIVE sessions and nearly 22 million creators who breached its LIVE monetisation policies. The company said warnings are intended to educate creators and encourage them to correct behaviour before facing stricter penalties.
The report also highlighted TikTok’s efforts to tackle misleading AI-generated content. During the quarter, the platform removed 32 504 videos under its policy governing edited media and AI-generated content.
TikTok requires creators to label realistic AI-generated content and uses Content Credentials, a technology developed by the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA), to identify content that has been generated or significantly altered using artificial intelligence.
The company recently joined the C2PA Steering Committee, saying it wants to help advance industry-wide standards for AI transparency. According to TikTok, its systems have already helped label more than 3-billion videos globally.
TikTok said it remains committed to creating a safer online environment by combining automated moderation technology with thousands of trust and safety specialists who monitor content and enforce the platform’s rules against misinformation, hate speech and other harmful material.
- TikTok removed more than 1.1 million videos uploaded in South Africa during the first quarter of 2026 as the social media giant intensified efforts to clamp down on harmful content and protect younger users.
- According to TikTok’s latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, the platform removed 1,192,526 videos in South Africa between January and March after they were found to be in violation of its rules.
- The report shows that 99.6% of the offending videos were detected and removed before they were reported by users, while 94.9% were taken down within 24 hours of being posted.
- TikTok deploys AI tools The figures reflect TikTok’s growing reliance on artificial intelligence and automated moderation tools to identify content that breaches its policies before it spreads widely.
- Globally, TikTok removed more than 184 million videos during the same period, representing about 0.5% of all content uploaded to the platform.
TikTok removed more than 1.1 million videos uploaded in
Globally, TikTok removed more than 184 million videos during the same period, representing about 0.5% of all content uploaded to the platform. Of those, over 178 million were detected through automated systems, while approximately 8.8 million videos were later reinstated after further review.
TikTok also reported increased enforcement on its LIVE streaming feature. More than 141,000 LIVE rooms in
Worldwide, TikTok issued warnings, demonetised content or took other enforcement action against more than 58.2 million LIVE sessions and nearly 22 million creators who breached its LIVE monetisation policies.
TikTok requires creators to label realistic AI-generated content and uses Content Credentials, a technology developed by the Coalition for Content Provenance and
TikTok said it remains committed to creating a safer online environment by combining automated moderation technology with thousands of trust and safety specialists who monitor content and enforce the platform’s rules against misinformation, hate speech and other harmful material.
