In the fourth quarter of 2025, TikTok removed 1 127 931 videos for violating its Community Guidelines in South Africa – with 99,9% of them proactively removed before anyone reported them, and 98,4% taken down within 24 hours of posting.
This is according to the platform’s Q4 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement report, which adds that 520 515 South African accounts suspected to belong to users under the age of 13 were also removed.
Globally, TikTok removed a total of 175 302 085 videos during the quarter, representing about 0,5% of all content uploaded on the platform. Of these, 152 580 933 videos were detected and taken down using automated detection technologies and 8 360 780 videos were reinstated after further review. The platform recorded a 99,1% proactive removal rate, with 93,4% of flagged content removed within 24 hours of posting.
TikTok LIVE
In the latest report, TikTok emphasises its commitment to keeping the TikTok LIVE experience safe. The platform has noted a further rise in the number of LIVE streams being interrupted and the number of LIVE monetisation enforcement actions (both demonetisation and warnings).
In South Africa, TikTok interrupted 188 499 LIVE rooms for violation of guidelines. Globally, TikTok took action, including warnings and de-monetisation, on 17 714 756 LIVE sessions and 9 277 720 LIVE creators for violating the platform’s LIVE monetisation guidelines.
AI-Generated content removals
TikTok says it aims to protect its community by prohibiting and removing AI-generated content that is harmful or misleading, and requiring people to label realistic AiGC. In Q4 of 2025, TikTok removed 13 369 videos under its policy for edited media and AI-generated content (AIGC) for violating community guidelines in South Africa.
The platform requires creators to label all AI-generated content that contains realistic images, audio, and video.
To bolster the platform’s AI-generated content labels, earlier this year it tested a solution called “invisible watermarking”. The platform requires people to label realistic AI-generated content on TikTok and layer multiple strategies to apply that rule.
This includes labelling tools offered to creators as well as automated detection models. TikTok uses a cross-industry technology called C2PA Content Credentials which embeds metadata into content that lets TikTok’s Trust & Safety teams – as well as other platforms who use C2PA – know when something is AI-generated. These efforts helped label over 1,3-billion videos to date.
The full Q4 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement report is available here.