'Toxic' TikTok Lite suspended to pre-empt ban by EU

TikTok has suspended its TikTok Lite service, which offers rewards for watching videos, after the European Commission threatened to block it over fears that it could prove addictive for children.

Earlier this week, internal market commissioner Thierry Breton gave the Chinese-owned video-sharing platform a deadline of Wednesday (yesterday) to prove the feature complied with obligations under new Digital Markets Act.
He branded the service – which was launched in France and Spain this month – “toxic” and claimed it could be as “addictive as cigarettes”.

He added: “Our children are not guinea pigs for social media. The DMA ensures the safety of our EU online space.”

However, in a pre-emptive move, TikTok wrote to Breton to say it would suspend the service with immediate effect.

The company is under attack on both sides of the Atlantic, after the US Senate voted on Tuesday to pass a bill that will either ban TikTok or force a sale of its US business.

Breton said: “I take note of TikTok’s decision to suspend the TikTok Lite ‘reward programme’ in the EU, following the opening of our case on April 22 and the communication of our readiness to adopt interim measures.

“Our cases against TikTok on the risk of addictiveness of the platform continue, including the investigation to establish whether the launch of TikTok Lite was done in compliance with the DMA.

“We suspect that this feature could generate addiction and that TikTok did not do a diligent risk assessment and take effective mitigation measures prior to its launch.”

A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed the two formal proceedings into TikTok remained active, including this recent case regarding TikTok Lite.

A TikTok spokesperson said: “TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the EU Commission and other regulators.

“We are therefore voluntarily suspending the rewards functions in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns that they have raised.”