The lightweight version of the TikTok application, which was launched in two EU countries a couple of weeks ago, included a reward feature that paid users a small amount every day for participating in videos.
Shortly after, European regulatory bodies initiated an investigation, claiming that the feature could promote addiction, especially among young people. TikTok has responded today by suspending the feature in the EU while addressing the investigation.
TikTok Lite is designed as a lightweight alternative to the main TikTok app to make it easier to use on slow internet connections. It has been available for years in some parts of Asia and earlier this month it was launched in France and Spain.
How rewards work on TikTok Lite
Within the application there is a rewards center that pays users in “coins” for doing things like logging in, watching ads, and liking videos.
Coins can be exchanged for Amazon vouchers or PayPal gift cards. But you have to do a lot of things to earn a significant amount of money: watching videos for an hour only gives about 36 euro cents.
The Commission, relying on the EU Digital Services Act, took action and expressed concern about the potential “addictive effect” of the reward feature on children.
In statements to Reuters, a TikTok spokesperson emphasized that the feature is not available for users under 18 years old, but the complaint from the European Commission suggests that TikTok’s age verification mechanisms may not be strong enough to prevent children from registering anyway.
