TikTok agrees to pull rewards feature from E.U. amid concerns over 'addictive effect'
TikTok has committed to “permanently withdraw” a rewards program from the E.U. after the bloc raised concerns about the feature’s potential "addictive effect."
TikTok has committed to “permanently withdraw” a rewards program from the European Union after the 27-member bloc raised concerns about the feature’s potential “addictive effect,” the European Commission announced Monday.
The move means TikTok is now in compliance with the E.U.’s Digital Services Act, a sweeping regulation that aims in part to “create a safer digital space in which the fundamental rights of all users of digital services are protected.”
TikTok Lite Rewards, a feature of a separate version of the primary TikTok app, launched in Spain and France in April. The E.U. swiftly demanded a “risk assessment.” The rewards program allows users to earn points in exchange for completing certain “tasks,” such as watching videos, liking content and following creators.
The European Commission raised concerns that the rewards feature had been “launched without a prior diligent assessment of the risks it entails, particularly in relation to [its] addictive effect.” It could “potentially have negative effects on the physical and mental health of users,” the commission added.
TikTok has not publicly conceded that the rewards feature is potentially addictive. In response to a request for comment Monday, a TikTok spokesperson said in part: “We always seek to engage constructively with the European Commission and other regulators. TikTok is pleased to have reached an amicable resolution.”
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