TikTok has launched a new TikTok-derived app on our borders (and in France) called TikTok Lite. Contrary to what it seems, it is not a lighter app (there is, and it is also called TikTok Lite), but rather a TikTok-like app where users can earn rewards by watching videos, inviting friends, logging in, and more. every day… And as expected, the European Union was quick to ask for an explanation.

Let’s start from the beginning. What is TikTok Lite? For all intents and purposes it is similar to TikTok. You have an account, you watch videos, you like them… The difference of the main application is that it encourages you to use it through a points program: TikTok Lite Rewards.

The goal of this program is to “encourage users to discover new content, engage with the app, and recommend it to their friends.” You can submit your favorite creators by completing certain tasks, such as logging in every day.

Rewards in TikTok Lite | Capture: Xataka

How many euros are we talking about? It depends on the mission, but just for signing up they give you 800 points, which is exactly 0.08 euros. You can earn up to 90,000 points (9 euros) when you invite a friend and 3,000 points (30 cents) when you log in every day for ten days. Once we reach a certain number of points, we can convert them into Amazon vouchers or PayPal cards worth between 1 and 500 euros, depending on the points accumulated.

adults only. Although the minimum age to use Tiktok Lite is 13, only people of legal age can participate in the rewards program. The application has an age verification system that includes existing methods such as estimating facial age through selfie, taking a selfie with ID, or verifying with a credit card.

Rewards in TikTok Lite | Capture: Xataka

The commission has questions. This program is exactly the one that attracted the attention of the European Commission. As the agency explained in a statement, it asked TikTok for “more details about the risk assessment that the TikTok provider must carry out before deploying the new TikTok Lite application in the EU.”

In this sense, the request refers to the possible impact that the TikTok Rewards Lite program could have “on the protection of minors and the mental health of users, in particular on the possibility of causing addictive behavior.”

24 hours. This is how long TikTok needs to submit its risk assessment. The deadline for submitting the remaining information is April 26. While it is true that this is an investigation and does not prejudice the taking of possible measures, “under section 74(2) of the Digital Services Act, the Commission may impose fines for inaccurate, incomplete or misleading information in response to a request for information”.

More research. TikTok was the first victim of the DSA. The European Commission launched an official investigation into the application as soon as it came into force, on the grounds that it did not comply with some requirements of the application and that there were doubts about compliance with regulations on issues such as the protection of minors and transparency in advertising. , researcher access to data and risk management of addictive design and hate content.

Pictures | Xataka

in Xataka | The great success of TikTok and Instagram is that they hook us on “infinite scrolling”. And the EU declared war