TikTok has voluntarily suspended the rewards function in its TikTok Lite app in response to European Commission investigations, the social media company announced yesterday, April 24th. The suspension has commenced for an initial period of 60 days for new users and will be in effect for all other users in France and Spain by the end of the week. The rollout in other member states has also been paused.
“TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators. Therefore, we are voluntarily suspending the rewards function in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns they have raised,” the video-sharing platform said in a statement on X.
Statement on TikTok Lite: "TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators. We are therefore voluntarily suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns that they have raised."
— TikTok Policy Europe (@TikTokPolicyEUR) April 24, 2024
The Commission announced earlier this week that it will initiate a probe under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to assess compliance with regulations and whether a risk assessment was conducted before implementing the functions. The EU executive had inquired about its potential impact on users’ mental health, particularly in relation to the stimulation of addictive behavior.
TikTok had until April 23rd to submit a risk assessment, which it promptly did, according to a Commission spokesperson.
The Commission also informed TikTok earlier this week of its intention to impose interim measures to suspend the Lite rewards program in the EU pending a safety assessment. TikTok had until today to respond to the Commission with its defense.
In response to today’s voluntary suspension, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton stated, “I take note of the decision.” He added, “Our cases against TikTok regarding the risk of addictiveness of the platform continue, including the investigation to establish whether the launch of TikTok Lite was in compliance with the DSA. Our children are not guinea pigs for social media. The DSA ensures the safety of our EU online space.”
Through TikTok Lite, users over 18 years old can earn points under a “Reward Program” by completing various tasks on the app, such as watching videos, liking content, following creators, or inviting friends to join. These points can be exchanged for rewards, such as Amazon vouchers, gift cards via PayPal, or TikTok’s coins currency.
The Commission initiated its first non-compliance probe under the DSA against TikTok back in February.