Video-sharing platform TikTok deleted 750,185 videos in Kenya for breaching its community guidelines in the second quarter of this year, even as the firm reported increasing reliance on automated systems to oversight content globally.

The figures, published in TikTok's Q2 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, showed that 99.8 percent of the suspect videos in Kenya were removed proactively before any user reported them. An estimated 93.8 percent of the videos were taken down within 24 hours of posting.

The company said the numbers reflected continued investment in detection technology and the deployment of rapid response mechanisms that are optimised to limit the spread of harmful content.

TikTok also removed over 46,000 user accounts in Kenya on suspicion that they belong to users under the age of 13. Globally, the company deleted over 26 million accounts belonging to underage users.

The firm’s latest disclosure underscores the increasing pressure facing social media companies to demonstrate progress on child safety measures, an issue that has drawn regulatory checks across Africa and Europe.

Additionally, the platform interrupted 80,640 LIVE rooms in Kenya for breaching best practices during the quarter under review.

LIVE monetisation

Across the world, the company said it took action, including warnings and demonetisation, against 47,176,654 LIVE sessions and 26,781,135 creators for breaching its LIVE monetisation policies guidelines. 

TikTok said warnings were intended to educate creators whose content may breach its policies, giving them an opportunity to make changes.

Worldwide, TikTok removed approximately 188.3 million of the more than 42.2 billion videos published on the platform in the quarter, which is about 0.4 per cent of the total. 

The company said automated systems detected 97.4 per cent of violations, the highest share ever recorded, while 99.5 per cent of videos were removed before being reported by users and 92.7 per cent within 24 hours of posting. 

During the quarter, the company reinstated around 6.3 million videos following successful appeals by users.

TikTok's report comes as AI-generated content continues to poses a growing challenge for social media platforms. 

In Kenya, a market marked by increased usage of smartphones, TikTok said it removed nearly 11,000 videos under its policy on edited media and AI-generated content during the period, supported by creator labelling tools, automated detection and C2PA Content Credentials technology, which helps users identify material created or significantly altered using AI.

To further educate users, TikTok recently launched an in-app AI Literacy Hub in Kenya, offering guidance on spotting AI-generated content, using AI tools responsibly and understanding how the platform supports safe AI experiences. The hub is live globally and accessible by searching for AI-related terms.

TikTok said it remained committed to inspiring creativity while prioritising the safety of its Kenyan community, combining automated moderation tools with thousands of trust and safety professionals worldwide to enforce its guidelines "consistently and at scale". 

The company has faced mounting regulatory attention in recent years over content moderation, data protection and the protection of minors, and has sought to burnish its transparency credentials through quarterly enforcement disclosures.

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