TikTok has taken down more than 16.5 million videos across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the first quarter of 2025, as part of its ongoing mission to protect users and enforce its Community Guidelines.
The platform’s Q1 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report reveals widespread removals in Egypt, Iraq, the UAE, Lebanon, and Morocco, reflecting TikTok’s intensified moderation efforts in the region.
In a continued push to keep content safe, TikTok also removed over 19 million violative LIVE videos globally—marking a 50% increase from the previous quarter. The platform also banned nearly 850,000 LIVE hosts and interrupted over 1.5 million livestreams across the five MENA countries, underscoring its investment in advanced detection technology and proactive enforcement.
Egypt and Iraq lead video removals
Egypt saw the removal of 2.9 million videos in the first three months of the year. A staggering 99.6% of these were flagged and removed before any user reports, and 94.3% were taken down within 24 hours. TikTok also took action against LIVE content, banning 347,935 LIVE hosts and halting 587,246 livestreams in the country.
Iraq reported the highest volume of video removals with over 10 million taken down. The platform maintained a 99.5% proactive removal rate and removed 95.5% of flagged videos within a day. LIVE enforcement was also extensive, with 346,335 hosts banned and 649,551 livestreams interrupted.
Strong moderation in UAE, Lebanon, and Morocco
In the United Arab Emirates, TikTok removed over 1 million videos, achieving a 98.2% proactive removal rate. About 94% of these were taken down within 24 hours. LIVE enforcement included banning 86,790 hosts and stopping over 140,000 livestreams.
Morocco recorded the removal of 1,040,981 videos, with a 98.9% proactive detection rate. The majority of flagged content—92.1%—was removed within a day. Meanwhile, 44,121 LIVE hosts were banned, and 77,396 livestreams were cut off.
Lebanon had 1,349,478 videos removed, maintaining a 99.5% proactive removal rate. The platform removed 96.9% of violative content within 24 hours, and it banned 24,795 LIVE hosts while disrupting 45,536 livestreams.
Appeals process and restored content
TikTok emphasized transparency and fairness by allowing users to appeal content decisions. Iraq had the most successful appeals, with 209,291 videos restored. Egypt followed with 144,605, while Morocco (53,525), the UAE (41,148), and Lebanon (31,880) also saw reinstated content after appeals were upheld.
Balancing tech with human moderation
TikTok continues to rely on a combination of automated systems and human moderators to uphold its Community Guidelines. The company assures users are notified when content is taken down and given the opportunity to appeal.
