The European Commission is on the verge of halting TikTok’s “Task and Rewards” feature on the TikTok Lite app due to concerns over its potentially harmful effects on users, particularly children. This decision may come into effect as early as Thursday, as announced by Commissioner Thierry Breton, who described the feature as “toxic and addictive.”
TikTok introduced the controversial feature recently in France and Spain, allowing users to earn small monetary rewards for engaging with content on TikTok Lite—a more data—and storage-efficient version of the app. The European Commission, however, is scrutinising the program under the new EU regulations that require a thorough risk assessment for any significant product modifications by large platforms, a stipulation TikTok reportedly failed to meet.
Breton expressed his readiness to implement interim measures, including suspending the rewards program, pending a formal defence from TikTok by Wednesday. Additionally, the Commission has initiated formal proceedings against TikTok to determine whether the company has violated EU law, particularly concerning the protection of minors and data privacy.
While TikTok asserts that the rewards are only available to users over 18 and claims robust age verification tools are in place, the Commission still needs to be convinced about the effectiveness of these mechanisms. TikTok has no plans to expand this feature beyond France, Spain, and some Southeast Asian countries.
This issue marks the second major EU investigation into TikTok’s operations, following earlier inquiries into its data protection practices and content moderation policies. Under the EU’s Digital Services Act, companies in violation could face fines of up to 6% of their global revenue.
In response to the potential suspension, a TikTok spokesperson expressed disappointment, emphasising that the feature is not accessible to users under 18 and includes daily limits on video-watching tasks. TikTok has pledged to continue its dialogue with the Commission to address these concerns.
