TikTok won’t roll out new reward mode in Europe after protests

Europe steps in as app comes into conflict with new regulations

Life

Image: TikTok

Social media platform TikTok is not going to make a new feature in its Lite app available in Europe after the European Union opposed a reward mode that would require users to log in every day. TikTok is now scrapping the plan altogether.

French and Spanish users of TikTok Lite, a version of the app that uses less data, were introduced to a rewards programme in April. In exchange for daily tasks such as watching videos and liking them, they received rewards such as Amazon vouchers. Users had to be over 18, though.

The European Commission immediately opened an investigation. TikTok’s methods would violate the rules of the Digital Services Act (DSA), it was felt. It would be addictive and aimed at keeping young people on the app as long as possible. Moreover, TikTok would not have a targeted way of verifying that users of the program were indeed of age. As a result, the rollout of the rewards program was suspended.

Now, after talking to European authorities, TikTok decides to abandon the reward mode within the EU altogether. “TikTok is pleased that we have found an amicable solution and have decided to withdraw the TikTok Lite rewards programme, having already voluntarily suspended it earlier,” the company announced.

The European Union is giving a clear message, through Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market. “The available brain time of young Europeans is not a means of payment for social media – and it never will be,” he informed.

In addition to TikTok, other major platforms are under fire for possibly encouraging addiction. For example, the EU previously opened investigations into Meta to expose the harmfulness of Facebook and Instagram on children and adolescents.

Another European legislation, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) also regularly raises dust. Apple, for example, has multiple investigations on its leg revolving around unfair competition and a monopoly position that Apple allegedly has.

And artificial intelligence (AI) remains a hot topic as well. For example, Meta will not make a new AI feature available in Europe after the commission expressed concern about its use of users’ photo and video data to train AI models.

Read More: Social networks TikTok