Risk of addiction for minors
Tiktok suspends controversial reward function
April 24, 2024, 5:44 p.m
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Hours of scrolling and watching videos are rewarded with digital coins on Tiktok Lite. The new function is intended to attract users, but is causing major concerns in the EU. After Brussels threatened a blockade at the beginning of the week, Tiktok is now voluntarily pausing the function – at least for the time being.
Under pressure from the European Commission due to suspected addiction risks for minors, the video platform Tiktok is temporarily suspending a controversial reward system. “We are voluntarily suspending the rewards feature in Tiktok Lite while we address the concerns,” the company said on X. At the beginning of the week, Brussels threatened to block the function in the EU.
Tiktok introduced the new app “Tiktok Lite” in April; in Europe it is currently available in France and Spain. The version contains a points system: Anyone who registers, watches several hours of videos or invites friends to Tiktok will be rewarded with digital coins. The points can be exchanged for small amounts in the form of vouchers, for example for the online retailer Amazon.
The EU Commission had raised concerns about the “risk of serious damage to the mental health of users” and demanded that Tiktok take measures to protect minors in particular. Tiktok launched the new function entirely “without effective risk reduction measures,” the commission said. The company has now responded to the threat from Brussels to block the controversial points system this week. “The proceedings against Tiktok due to the addictive nature of the platform are continuing,” said EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton on
Online services such as Tiktok, Instagram and Facebook are obliged under the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) to better protect minors and delete content such as depictions of violence or false information more quickly.