European Union warns of TikTok Lite ban over ‘addictive’ reward-to-watch feature

The European Union (EU) has issued a severe warning to TikTok, stating that its new service, TikTok Lite, may be banned due to worries that it may be as addictive as cigarettes. This is the first time the EU has used its recently gained powers to impose fines on social media companies since the Digital Service Act (DSA) was passed last August.

The commission gave TikTok till Wednesday to “bring arguments in its defence which the commission will carefully assess” before making a final judgment on its enforcement actions.

The digital commissioner, Thierry Breton, stated that the Chinese-owned video-sharing site had “failed to prove” that TikTok Lite, which compensates users for watching clips, conformed with the act’s obligations, labeling the service as “toxic.”

The commission stated that the reward function might be stopped in the bloc if TikTok could not respond adequately to authorities’ worries about the impact on users’ mental health.

The rewards include Amazon vouchers and gift cards via PayPal or TikTok’s Coins currency for points gained through “tasks” such as viewing videos, like content, following producers, or asking others to join.

Breton noted that the app was introduced in France and Spain this month despite a continuing DSA investigation into the company that began in February over concerns about child safety. He stated that TikTok is used by millions of youngsters in Europe, and the commission is “making every effort to protect them.”

On Monday, the commission stated that it had not received adequate responses from TikTok regarding addiction precautions, despite the fact that TikTok was already under investigation for other kid safety issues.

“While this first case is ongoing, TikTok chose to launch TikTok Lite, which under the laudable promise of letting you watch videos … creates financial incentives for spending more time on your phone,” the commission said.

“Unless TikTok provides compelling proof of safety, which it has failed to do now, we stand ready to trigger DSA interim measures including the suspension of the TikTok Lite reward programme,” Breton wrote on X.

“We are disappointed with this decision – the TikTok Lite rewards hub is not available to under-18s and there is a daily limit on video watch tasks. We will continue discussions with the commission,” TikTok spokesperson said.