TikTok bans 144k South African accounts

TikTok banned a total of 143,998 accounts in the second quarter of 2024 for violating the social platform’s community guidelines.

This was one of the more dramatic numbers in TikTok’s Q2 2024 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, in which it says it is showcasing its “growing efforts to ensure user safety and well-being in South Africa”. 

It said I’m a statement this weekend: “This quarterly report provides transparency on the content and accounts removed during the reporting period for violating the platform’s community guidelines.”

• The report highlighted the following statistics:
• 614,406 videos were removed, comprising 0.6% of the total videos uploaded in South Africa in the reporting period.
• 98.7% of these videos were proactively removed before any user reports, with 88.4% taken down within 24 hours.
• 137,663 accounts were removed because they were suspected to be under the age of 13.

Globally, TikTok has made significant strides in content moderation. In June 2024, over 178-million videos were removed worldwide, with 144-million of these taken down through automation. These technical advancements reduce the volume of content that moderators review, helping minimise human exposure to violative content. 

With a proactive detection rate now at 98.2% globally, TikTok days, is more efficient than ever at addressing harmful content before users encounter it.

“As TikTok continues to invest in cutting-edge moderation technologies, its commitment to transparency and platform safety remains at the forefront, ensuring a secure environment for its diverse user base across South Africa and globally,” the company said.

* The full report can be accessed here.