The Chinese social network announced on April 11 the launch of TikTok Lite in France and Spain. The new service has a feature aimed at users aged 18 and over: the "Rewards Program", which allows users to earn points by completing certain "tasks" on TikTok, such as watching videos, liking content , follow creators, invite friends to join TikTok, etc.
These points can be redeemed for rewards, such as Amazon vouchers, gift cards through PayPal, or TikTok currency which can be spent on tipping creators.
EU wants details on assessment of service's addiction risks
The European Commission on Wednesday demanded explanations from the social network TikTok on the risks of addiction linked to the deployment in France and Spain of a new service paying users who watch videos. The European executive explains that it requested “details on the risk assessment” that the network, owned by the Chinese group Byte Dance, “should have carried out before deploying the new TikTok Lite application in the EU”.
“This concerns the potential impact of the new rewards
program
on the protection of minors and the mental health of users, in particular with regard to the potential stimulation of addictive behavior,” the Commission said. This formal request comes within the framework of the new European legislation on digital services (DSA) which has imposed reinforced rules on 22 very large internet players, including TikTok, since last year to guarantee user security.
The Commission, which now plays the role of digital policeman in the EU, has the power to control and sanction offenders. The procedure launched on Wednesday is not the first concerning TikTok.
First step before potential sanctions
TikTok must transmit within 24 hours its “risk assessment” linked to the new application and must answer a series of questions by April 26.
The request for information announced on Wednesday does not constitute a challenge at this stage. However, this is a first step in a procedure which could lead to the opening of a formal investigation, and ultimately to heavy financial sanctions in the event of proven breaches of the regulations.
The Commission had already opened a formal procedure in February 2024 against TikTok, suspected of having violated the DSA in areas related to the protection of minors, transparency of advertising, access to data for researchers, as well as 'to the management of risks linked to the addictive design and harmful content of its application. The Commission is now gathering more evidence.