TikTok Suspends TikTok Lite Rewards Program in the EU

A TikTok service offering rewards such as gift vouchers for watching videos has been suspended by the social media site. This comes shortly after the EU threatened to block the company’s new Lite app amid fears of addiction among children.

TikTok announced on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, that it is suspending the rewards program within its new Lite app in Europe while it addresses the European Union’s concerns about the social media site. The European Commission opened a probe into the program this month, citing concerns about its possible addictive effect on children.

A statement by EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton reads, “While our first non-compliance case against TikTok under the DSA is ongoing, the company launched TikTok Lite, which includes a feature that financially rewards extra screen time. We suspect that this feature could generate addiction and that TikTok did not do a diligent risk assessment and take effective mitigation measures prior to its launch.”

Our children are not guinea pigs for social media.

I take note of TikTok’s decision to suspend the #TikTokLite “Reward Program” in the EU.

The cases against TikTok on the risk of addictiveness of the platform continue.#DSA ensures the safety of our 🇪🇺 online space. https://t.co/J1oI6zNI97

— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) April 24, 2024

Breton went on to note TikTok’s decision to suspend the TikTok Lite Reward Program in the EU. He added, “Our cases against TikTok on the risk of addictiveness of the platform continue, including the investigation to establish whether the launch of TikTok Lite was done in compliance with the DSA.”

He concluded the statement by saying, “Our children are not guinea pigs for social media. The DSA ensures the safety of our EU online space.”

TikTok Lite was launched in France and Spain in March. Reward functions allow users to earn points while performing specific tasks on the app, such as watching videos and inviting friends to join. Subsequently, these points can be exchanged for rewards, such as Amazon vouchers.

Meanwhile, TikTok is also at risk of being banned in the United States. Congress passed the bill on Tuesday, and President Biden signed it into law on Wednesday. The law gives ByteDance 270 days — or potentially up to a year if President Biden extends it — to sell TikTok.

A statement from TikTok CEO Shou Chew calls this law “unconstitutional,” and he plans to challenge it in court. “We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail,” he said.

Chew claims the company has invested billions of dollars to keep data safe and TikTok “free from outside influence and manipulation.” He claims the ban would “devastate” 7 million businesses and “silence” 170 million Americans.