In a recent development, TikTok has agreed to remove a rewards feature that had raised concerns regarding its potential to promote excessive screen time, particularly among children, as announced by the European Union's executive commission. This decision marks the first resolution of an investigation under the EU's Digital Services Act, which came into effect in February with the aim of ensuring a safe and accountable online environment by regulating major digital platforms.
Although TikTok made the commitment to withdraw the feature, it did not admit that the feature violated the Digital Services Act, according to officials. However, the commission has deemed the withdrawal to be legally binding, sending a strong message to the entire social media industry, as stated by Margrethe Vestager, the European Commission for Digital Affairs.
Vestager emphasized the potential risks posed by design features on platforms with addictive effects, stating that such features endanger the well-being of users. This led to the enforcement of TikTok's commitments under the DSA as legally binding.
The case in question pertains to TikTok Lite, a version of the app designed for low-bandwidth usage in Spain and France. This version allowed users to earn points by engaging in activities such as following creators, liking content, or inviting friends to join TikTok. These points could then be exchanged for Amazon vouchers and gift cards on PayPal. TikTok specified that rewards were limited to users aged 18 and above, who were required to verify their age. Users could watch up to one hour of videos per day to earn rewards, which were capped at one euro ($1.09) per day.
The commission initiated an investigation in April due to concerns that TikTok had not conducted a thorough assessment, as mandated by the act, of the potential addictive effects of the feature, particularly concerning children, given the suspected lack of effective age verification mechanisms on TikTok.
It is important to note that the resolution of the TikTok Lite investigation does not impact a separate probe that was previously launched against TikTok. This earlier investigation focuses on issues related to the protection of minors, transparency in advertising, data accessibility for researchers, and the mitigation of risks associated with behavioral addiction and harmful content.
