TikTok removed more than 11.7 million videos across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Iraq and Lebanon during the fourth quarter of 2025, highlighting the growing scale of content moderation and online safety enforcement as digital platforms face increasing regulatory scrutiny worldwide.
According to TikTok’s latest Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, the platform removed 11,772,196 videos across the five markets between October and December 2025. The report also highlighted the company’s expanding use of automated moderation technologies, with a 99.9% proactive removal rate reported across all five countries and 98.4% of violating content removed within 24 hours.
The figures illustrate the growing challenge facing social media platforms as they attempt to balance user growth, content creation and online safety. With millions of videos uploaded daily, technology companies are increasingly relying on artificial intelligence and automated moderation systems to identify harmful content before it is reported by users.
Iraq Recorded the Highest Number of Removals
Among the reported markets, Iraq accounted for the largest share of content removals, with 4.69 million videos taken down during the quarter.
Saudi Arabia followed with 2.9 million videos removed, while Egypt recorded 2.38 million removals. TikTok also removed 1.01 million videos in Lebanon and 787,133 videos in the UAE.
The platform restored a number of videos in each market following successful appeals, reflecting the growing importance of transparency and user recourse in content moderation systems.
Increased Focus on Livestream Safety
TikTok reported a significant increase in enforcement actions related to livestreaming.
Globally, the platform suspended 42.8 million LIVE sessions during Q4 2025, representing a 32.9% increase compared to the previous quarter.
Across Egypt, the UAE, Iraq and Lebanon, TikTok:
Banned 358,160 LIVE hosts
Interrupted 974,661 livestreams
Iraq recorded the highest number of enforcement actions, with 181,918 LIVE hosts banned and 472,669 livestreams interrupted.
Egypt followed with 126,095 banned LIVE hosts and 357,652 interrupted livestreams, while the UAE and Lebanon also recorded substantial moderation activity.
Protecting Younger Users
The report also highlighted TikTok’s efforts to strengthen age-related protections.
Globally during Q4 2025, the platform removed:
23.9 million suspected under-13 accounts
147.7 million fake accounts
The figures come amid growing international pressure on social media companies to strengthen age verification systems and protect younger users from harmful content and online risks.
Governments across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia are increasingly introducing regulations that require platforms to implement stronger safeguards for minors, improve transparency and enhance parental controls.
AI and Human Moderation Working Together
TikTok stated that its moderation strategy relies on a hybrid model combining artificial intelligence systems with human review teams. As content volumes continue to increase, AI is playing a larger role in detecting violations related to harmful content, misinformation, spam and account abuse.
The company said ongoing investments in moderation technologies, trust and safety teams and regional enforcement capabilities are helping improve the speed and accuracy of content enforcement decisions.
The growing use of AI-driven moderation reflects a broader industry trend as social media companies seek scalable solutions to manage billions of user interactions while complying with evolving regulatory requirements.
