Social network TikTok announced on Wednesday that it is “voluntarily” suspending the function of its new TikTok Lite app, which rewards users for screen time, accused in the EU of encouraging addiction, according to AFP.
TiktokPhoto: Dreamstime
“Our children are not guinea pigs for social media,” was the immediate reaction of European digital commissioner Thierry Breton, who announced an investigation in Brussels on Monday and threatened to issue a suspension on Thursday.
Noting this decision by TikTok, whose parent company is Chinese, he stated that the procedure against the platform regarding the “risk of addiction” continues.
“TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the European Commission and other regulatory authorities. Therefore, we are voluntarily suspending the reward features in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns you have raised,” the social network said in a message posted on X.
Virtual currencies, convertible into gift cards, in exchange for watching videos… TikTok, owned by Chinese group ByteDance, launched its controversial new service in France and Spain at the end of March.
It had been accused of dangerously reinforcing addiction to the social network by encouraging users to stay online.
photo: Dreamstime
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