TikTok Ranks Ugandan Content Among the Most Harmful Globally

TikTok has flagged Uganda as one of the leading sources of policy-violating content, following a sharp increase in videos breaching its community guidelines. According to the platform’s latest transparency report, the country recorded over 1.5 million videos deleted in just three months, positioning Uganda among the top 30 nations globally for content removals.

This spike marks a major leap for Uganda, which did not appear in the global rankings last year. The volume of deleted content from Ugandan users is more than triple that of neighbouring Kenya, where social media penetration and internet use are both higher. Globally, Uganda now ranks 29th in terms of video removals, surpassing countries such as France, Italy, and Spain, which have far larger online populations.

Why Is Uganda Recording So Many Deleted TikTok Videos?

TikTok’s report attributes most of the removals to explicit or inappropriate content. Over 60 percent of the deleted videos reportedly contained nudity, sexually suggestive material, or depictions of regulated products like alcohol, drugs, and firearms. Contrary to speculation, the data indicate that political or censorship-related issues accounted for only a small fraction of the violations.

TikTok, which deleted over 189 million videos globally in the same quarter, explained that the rise in removals reflects improvements in its moderation systems. Nearly 99 percent of the flagged videos were removed proactively, meaning they were detected and taken down before being reported by users. This proactive approach, according to the company, is key to maintaining safe and responsible content sharing across its global community.

How Big Is TikTok’s Presence in Uganda?

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) estimates that TikTok now has about 8.8 million users in the country, representing roughly 17 percent of the total population. The platform ranks as Uganda’s second-most popular social media app after WhatsApp, playing a major role in shaping youth culture, trends, and digital expression.

Regionally, Uganda’s 1.5 million deletions place it behind Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan, which recorded higher numbers of content violations during the same period. As moderation tools become more advanced, TikTok’s continued enforcement of its community guidelines suggests that African countries with rapidly growing digital populations will increasingly find themselves under scrutiny.

With the platform’s expanding influence in Uganda, the challenge remains balancing freedom of expression with content responsibility, a test that both creators and regulators must now navigate carefully.

By Lucky Anyanje