The summit underscores TikTok's ongoing efforts to prioritise user safety in Africa while fostering an open dialogue with policymakers to shape robust frameworks that protect users' rights while encouraging innovation and creativity in the digital space, the app says.

Government and Industry Leaders Discuss Digital Safety

The summit was officially opened by South Africa's Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, who highlighted the importance of collaboration among governments, technology platforms, and communities to foster a safer digital ecosystem, TikTok says.

Helena Lersch, TikTok's Vice President for Public Policy, in her remarks, reaffirms the platform's commitment to user safety and the role of partnerships in creating a secure digital environment. "Billions of people come to TikTok every day to create, share and connect and we're continually evolving our policies and practices to safeguard our platform so our community can discover and do what they love. This summit underscores the importance of collaboration between industry leaders and regulators in shaping a digital ecosystem that is both innovative and secure," says Lersch.

Fortune Mgwili-Sibanda, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations for Sub-Saharan Africa, further emphasises the significance of collective efforts in digital safety, stating that the Summit serves as a valuable platform for sharing insights, strengthening collaboration, and ensuring that African users, particularly young people, are protected online.

Content Moderation in Africa

During the summit, TikTok says it reported a significant upward trend in its content removal rate across Sub-Saharan Africa, with data showing a 249.81% increase in content removals from the second quarter of 2023 to the fourth quarter of 2024. This improvement aligns with TikTok's global standards for content moderation and community guidelines enforcement.

TikTok's Community Guidelines Enforcement Report reflect the platform's continued investment in automated moderation technology, alongside human safety experts that enable the detection and removal of harmful content before it reaches users. Globally, between July and September 2024, TikTok says that it removed more than 147 million videos, of which 118 million were detected and removed automatically using these technologies.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, TikTok adds that it removed over 7.5 million videos in Q3 2024, rising to more than 8 million in Q4 2024 — an increase of 14.06% quarter-on-quarter. Notably, 99.5% of these videos were removed before any user reports, underscoring TikTok's commitment to proactive moderation and swift action.

A similar trend was observed in North Africa, where TikTok removed over 7 million videos in both Q3 and Q4 of 2024. This represented an 8.70% increase in removals between the quarters, with 99.3% of these takedowns also occurring before user reports, the app adds.

These figures highlight TikTok's ongoing efforts to provide a safe and positive online environment through robust, technology-enabled content moderation systems, the app says.

'#SaferTogether' — Driving Safer Digital Engagement

As part of its broader commitment to digital safety and education, TikTok says it is expanding its efforts across Africa through strategic partnerships and training programs that promote digital literacy, safety awareness and responsible content creation. At the forefront of these efforts is TikTok's flagship '#SaferTogether' campaign, which has achieved notable milestones since its launch in 2022.

Since September 2024, TikTok adds that it has also partnered with local creators across Sub-Saharan Africa to raise awareness about its safety features and Community Guidelines.

Shaping the Future of Digital Safety in Africa — Global Youth Council

TikTok adds that it is also making a significant step in amplifying youth voices by expanding its Global Youth Council for 2025, further strengthening African representation. Originally launched in 2023 to empower young users and shape platform policies, the Global Youth Council has now nearly doubled in size, featuring 28 members from 15 countries. New representatives from Nigeria, Cameroon, Canada, Qatar and Australia will join returning members from Brazil, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, the UK and the US for a second term. The Youth Council plays an important role in shaping TikTok's safety, well-being and inclusivity policies, ensuring that young users have a voice in the platform's continued evolution.

The Safer Internet Summit serves as an essential forum for best practice sharing between industry leaders and policymakers. By fostering collaboration, TikTok says it aims to ensure that digital spaces remain safe, inclusive, and conducive to creativity while balancing the need for effective governance and innovation.

"We value forums such as TikTok's Safer Internet Summit, which bring policymakers into one room for a shared purpose: keeping internet users safe. We are incredibly proud to be a partner of TikTok's '#SaferTogether' campaign. This collaboration not only underscores our shared commitment to fostering a safer online environment, but also opens new avenues for innovation and collaboration that will enable us to scale our efforts effectively for a safer internet for all," concludes Emmanuel Edet, Acting Director, Regulation and Compliance NITDA.

For more information, visit www.tiktok.com. You can also follow TikTok South Africa on  X, Instagram, or on TikTok. 

*Image courtesy of contributor