TikTok has removed more than 1.1 million videos and over 520 000 suspected underage accounts in South Africa as it ramps up efforts to combat harmful online content.
Image: Pexels/ Amar Preciado
As concerns around online safety, misinformation and the protection of young users continue to grow, TikTok said it is significantly strengthening its moderation efforts in South Africa, removing more than 1.1 million videos and over half a million suspected underage accounts in just three months.
According to the platform's latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report for the fourth quarter of 2025, TikTok removed 1 127 931 videos in South Africa for violating its community standards, with almost all of them detected before users had a chance to report them.
The figures reflect the increasing role of artificial intelligence and automated moderation tools in policing content across one of the country's most widely used social media platforms.
TikTok said that 99.9% of the videos removed in South Africa were identified proactively, while 98.4% were taken down within 24 hours of being posted.
The company said it also intensified its efforts to protect younger users, removing 520 515 accounts suspected to belong to children under the age of 13, which falls below the platform's minimum age requirement.
The latest report comes as governments, parents and technology companies face mounting pressure to address the spread of harmful online content and the risks posed to younger audiences.
TikTok said it remains focused on "fostering a safe and trusted space for its users" through continued investment in advanced detection systems and rapid response mechanisms designed to limit the spread of harmful material.
The platform's LIVE streaming service also came under close scrutiny during the reporting period.
In South Africa alone, TikTok interrupted 188 499 LIVE rooms for violating its guidelines, while globally it took enforcement action against more than 17.7 million LIVE sessions and 9.2 million creators for breaches of its monetisation policies.
The company explained that warnings issued to creators are intended to educate users when their content approaches or crosses policy boundaries, allowing them to adjust their behaviour before stricter penalties are applied.
Artificial intelligence generated content has also become an increasingly important focus area.
TikTok revealed that it removed 13 369 South African videos during the quarter under its edited media and AI generated content policies because they violated community guidelines.
The platform requires creators to clearly label realistic AI generated images, audio and video content.
To improve transparency, TikTok has introduced multiple layers of verification technology, including invisible watermarking and the use of C2PA Content Credentials, an industry standard that embeds metadata into digital content to identify when artificial intelligence has been used.
According to the company, these initiatives have already helped label more than 1.3 billion videos globally.
Worldwide, TikTok removed 175.3 million videos during the fourth quarter of 2025, representing roughly 0.5% of all content uploaded to the platform. Of these, more than 152.5 million were detected automatically, while approximately 8.3 million were later reinstated following additional reviews.
The company said its moderation strategy combines automated technology with the work of thousands of trust and safety professionals around the world.
"TikTok remains committed to inspiring creativity and bringing joy while prioritising the safety and well being of its South African community," the company said.
"By combining advanced automated moderation tools with the expertise of thousands of trust and safety professionals worldwide, TikTok continues to enforce its Community Guidelines consistently and at scale, addressing harmful content such as misinformation, hate speech, and other policy violations."
The latest figures highlight both the scale of content moderation required on modern social media platforms and the increasing reliance on artificial intelligence to identify harmful material before it reaches wider audiences.
As debates around digital safety and online accountability continue to evolve, TikTok's latest enforcement data suggests that proactive moderation is becoming an increasingly important part of maintaining trust in the online ecosystem.
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