TikTok to remove feature deemed addictive by EU
TikTok has confirmed that it’s removing a controversial rewards program for users in the European Union after its regulators said it was addictive and could harm young people.
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TikTok has confirmed that it’s removing a controversial rewards program for users in the European Union after its regulators said it was addictive and could harm young people.
The rewards program is featured on TikTok Lite, an app launched in 2018 that uses less data than the original platform. Essentially, it rewards screen time: points are offered to adult users for liking posts, watching videos, and inviting friends over.
Users can then use the collected points for Amazon vouchers and TikTok coins for tipping other people. This is obviously an incentive to stay on the platform as long as possible.
The European Union doesn’t like it one bit. In fact, already in the beginning of the year, the European Commission said TikTok needs to explain its “Tasks and Rewards” feature and its compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The act, which was introduced last year, requires companies behind popular social media apps to be transparent about how content and products are algorithmically recommended and how their features could be addictive.
TikTok, or rather ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the platform, has now given in. In April, it suspended the rewards program, and on Monday, the feature was permanently disabled in EU countries. A similar program will not be created in the future, the company promised.
“The Commission was concerned that the TikTok Lite Rewards programme had been launched without a prior diligent assessment of the risks it entails, particularly in relation to the addictive effect of the Rewards programme, and without taking effective risk mitigating measures,” said the European Commission in a statement.
“The Rewards programme, which may stimulate addictive behaviour, could potentially have negative effects on the physical and mental health of users. This is of particular concern for minors, who may have a heightened sensitivity to such features.”
TikTok Lite requires users to be 18 or older to enroll in the rewards program, but the EU’s regulators said they were concerned over how effective the app was in verifying ages.
This particular agreement was the first of its kind under the DSA, and the case was closed 105 days after the opening of the proceedings. The deal is legally binding, meaning that any breach of the commitments will immediately amount to a breach and lead to fines.
“Our message is clear: there is no space in social media for any feature that puts users’ wellbeing at risk, especially minors,” Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner for digital affairs, said on X.
Today, we make #TikTok's commitment to indefinitely withdraw undefinedTikTok Lite” from the EU legally binding under the DSA.
undefined Margrethe Vestager (@vestager) August 5, 2024
👉Our message is clear: there is no space in social media for any feature that puts users’ wellbeing at risk, especially minors.
🗞️https://t.co/fo9hwlNwKG
In a separate investigation into TikTok Lite, the Mozilla Foundation also found that TikTok Lite users lack basic, proactive controls at their disposal, including the ability to filter offensive content and unwanted keywords, and screen management tools that can mitigate app addiction.
The European Union is also investigating other social media platforms, including X, Facebook, and Instagram. The parent company of the latter two is Meta.