The suspension was essentially prompted by the regulatory powers of the Digital Services Act.
A TikTok feature that the EU’s digital commissioner called “toxic” and “addictive as cigarettes” has been effectively defeated. The reward-to-watch function of TikTok Lite will be discontinued, the app’s owner ByteDance announced on Wednesday. President Biden signed a measure on Wednesday that requires ByteDance to sell the platform’s US operations or face a ban, making it a difficult day for TikTok.
When viewers watch and like videos on TikTok Lite, which was released earlier this month in France and Spain, they may receive incentives. After that, they may trade in their points for in-app rewards like TikTok’s virtual money, which is used to tip producers, or real-world benefits like Amazon gift cards. The “task and reward” element, according to the EU Commission, may encourage “addictive behaviour” in kids.
Wednesday on X (Twitter), EU commissioner Thierry Breton wrote, “Our children are not guinea pigs for social media.” “I observe that TikTok has decided to halt the #TikTokLite “Reward Programme” within the European Union.”
He concluded by reminding ByteDance that the company is still facing challenges, saying, “The cases against TikTok on the risk of addictiveness of the platform continue.”
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
Earlier this week, Breton issued a warning to ByteDance, stating that TikTok was the subject of a formal inquiry by the EU for infringing the Digital Services Act (DSA). Adopted in 2022, the historic law provides European regulators the power to compel major modifications to social media networks in order to safeguard users.
Businesses which violate the regulations face fines of up to 6% of their worldwide sales, which is enough to compel even the wealthiest businesses to comply. The suspension on Wednesday is the first tangible instance of the EU enforcing major adjustments on a social site under the DSA’s enforcement powers.
This year, the EU launched a second formal investigation into TikTok Lite, this time focusing on the platform. In February, legal proceedings were initiated in a previous case concerning TikTok and Meta on their handling of kids’ privacy and safety. According to The Guardian, both lawsuits are still pending.
The platform’s Policy Europe X account stated on Wednesday that “TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators.” “As a result, we are willingly stopping TikTok Lite’s rewards features while we address the issues they have brought up.”