The European Union (EU) has demanded that TikTok provide information about its new TikTok Lite app, which offers rewards to users for watching videos. The EU is concerned about the app’s potential addictive features and their risks to children.
The bloc has opened formal proceedings to determine whether TikTok Lite violates the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission has given TikTok 24 hours to submit the risk assessment and until Wednesday to present its case.
The EU has warned that it may order TikTok Lite to suspend its reward features as early as Thursday if the company fails to comply. This is the first time the EU has issued a legally binding order for such information since the DSA took effect.
TikTok is already facing intensified scrutiny from the EU. The Commission is also conducting an in-depth investigation into the main TikTok app’s DSA compliance, examining whether it’s doing enough to curb “systemic risks” stemming from its design, including “algorithmic systems” that might stimulate “behavioral addictions.”
The EU is concerned that measures such as age verification tools to stop minors from finding “inappropriate content” might not be effective.
