Through the first quarter of 2025, from January to March 2025, TikTok removed more than 16.5 million videos across the MENA region for violating its Community Guidelines.
The figures represent videos taken down across Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, the UAE and Morocco, offering a representative view of TikTok’s enforcement efforts across the region during this period.
In Q1 2025 alone, TikTok banned 849,976 live hosts and proactively interrupted more than 1.5 million live streams across Egypt, the UAE, Iraq, Lebanon and Morocco.
TikTok’s Community Guidelines are enforced through a hybrid model of automated systems and human moderation, in an attempt to ensure content is reviewed efficiently and fairly. Users are always informed when content is removed, with the ability to appeal decisions.
Such intervention highlights the company’s ongoing investment in advanced moderation technologies that can detect violative livestreams quickly and consistently. As the scale of automated decisions continues to expand, TikTok intends to maintain moderation accuracy while ensuring sustained enforcement efforts.
The platform’s continued efforts to maintain a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for users across the MENA region were highlighted in its recently released Q1 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report.
TikTok also scaled up its enforcement across live content globally, stopping more than 19 million live videos that violated its policies in Q1 2025, marking a 50 per cent increase from the previous quarter.
TikTok has strict policies to protect users from fake, fraudulent or misleading content, including ads. Advertiser accounts and ad content should follow its Community Guidelines, Advertising Policies and Terms of Service.
During the first quarter of 2025, the total volume of ads removed for violating TikTok’s advertising policies increased, mainly due to an increase in account-level enforcement. This increase is due to efforts to strengthen and enhance the platform’s internal processes, as well.
Appeals and restoration
TikTok also showed transparency and fairness through its content appeal and restoration process.
In cases where users successfully appealed moderation decisions, their videos were restored.
Iraq saw the highest number of restored videos at 209,291; followed by Egypt with 144,605; Morocco with 53,525; the UAE with 41,148; and Lebanon with 31,880.
These figures illustrate TikTok’s commitment to allowing users to appeal moderation decisions if they believe a mistake was made while maintaining platform integrity.
Transparency: A foundation for trust and a safer digital space
Beyond content enforcement, TikTok continues to engage users across the region through digital literacy initiatives, media partnerships, and community engagement efforts aimed at promoting safer, more informed use of the platform.
The Q1 2025 report serves as a comprehensive reflection of TikTok’s evolving approach to community protection, robust content moderation, and proactive user empowerment in MENA region and globally.
By strategically combining cutting-edge technology, human insight and impactful partnerships, TikTok aims to remain steadfastly committed to cultivating a digital environment where creativity flourishes, and everyone feels genuinely secure.
TikTok videos taken down based on violation of community guidelines
Egypt
In Q1 2025, TikTok removed 2.9 million videos in Egypt for violating its Community Guidelines.
The country witnessed proactive removal rate at 99.6 per cent, ensuring that nearly all harmful content was identified and removed before user reports.
Additionally, 94.3 per cent of violative content was taken down within 24 hours, reflecting strong responsiveness.
In addition to removing violative short-form videos, TikTok also banned 347,935 live hosts and interrupted 587,246 livestreams for violating the platform’s Community Guidelines.
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
In the UAE, more than 1 million videos were removed for violating TikTok’s Community Guidelines.
The country recorded a proactive removal rate of 98.2 per cent, and 94 per cent of harmful content was taken down within 24 hours.
Furthermore, TikTok banned 86,790 live hosts and interrupted 140,295 livestreams as part of its ongoing efforts to enforce safety policies and uphold platform integrity.
Morocco
TikTok removed 1,040,981 videos in Morocco during Q1 2025.
The platform’s proactive removal rate 98.9 per cent of violative content without user reports. Of these videos, 92.1 per cent were taken down within 24 hours, showing strong moderation efficiency.
In addition, TikTok banned 44,121 live hosts and disrupted 77,396 livestreams in line with its commitment to enforcing Community Guidelines and protecting the platform experience.
Iraq
Iraq recorded more than 10 million video removals for violations in Q1 2025 with proactive removal rate of 99.5 per cent, showing strong performance in preemptive content detection.
TikTok also acted quickly in Iraq, with 95.5 per cent of violative videos removed within 24 hours.
On the live front, TikTok banned 346,335 live hosts and interrupted 649,551 livestreams for violating the platform’s Community Guidelines.
Lebanon
TikTok removed 1,349,478 videos from Lebanon in Q1 2025.
With a 99.5 per cent proactive removal rate, the platform maintained robust detection systems with 96.9 per cent of violative content taken down within the first 24 hours, highlighting a rapid response to potential harm.
The platform also banned 24,795 live hosts and interrupted 45,536 livestreams for violating Community Guidelines, reinforcing its commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful environment.
