The EU warned TikTok’s new rewards feature could be addictive. Now the app's suspended it

TikTok announced Wednesday that it had suspended a feature that rewarded users for watching and liking videos on its new Lite app, available in France and Spain, after the EU launched an investigation Monday over child-safety concerns.

Having already launched a probe into TikTok in February, the European Commission on April 22 opened another investigation into the social media app’s new “Lite” version over concerns about the app's "risks of serious damage for the mental health of users", including minors.

Threatening to impose interim measures including suspending the controversial rewards programme featured in the "Lite" app in the EU "pending the assessment of its safety", Brussels had given TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, until Wednesday April 23 to provide a risk assessment for TikTok Lite.

The commission had also warned that if TikTok failed to reply to the request, it could impose fines of up to one percent of its total annual income or of its global turnover and periodic penalties up to five percent of its average daily income or annual turnover worldwide.

"We suspect TikTok 'Lite' could be as toxic and addictive as 'light' cigarettes," Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, said at the time.

(with AFP)

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