EU Opens Probe of TikTok Lite, Citing Concerns About Addictive Design

The European Union has opened a second formal investigation into TikTok under its Digital Services Act (DSA), an online governance and content moderation framework. The investigation centers around TikTok Lite's "Task and Reward" feature that may harm mental health, especially among minors, by promoting addictive behavior. TechCrunch reports: The Commission also said it's minded to impose interim measures that could force the company to suspend access to the TikTok Lite app in the EU while it investigates concerns the app poses mental health risks to users. Although the EU has given TikTok until April 24 to argue against the measure -- meaning the app remains accessible for now. Penalties for confirmed violations of the DSA can reach up to 6% of global annual turnover. So ByeDance, TikTok's parent, could face hefty fines if EU enforcers do end up deciding it has broken the law.

The EU's first TikTok probe covers multiple issues including the protection of minors, advertising transparency, data access for researchers, and the risk management of addictive design and harmful content. Hence it said the latest investigation will specifically focus on TikTok Lite, a version of the video sharing platform which launched earlier this month in France and Spain and includes a mechanism that allows users to earn points for doing things like watching or liking videos. Points earned through TikTok Lite can be exchanged for things like Amazon gift vouchers or TikTok's own digital currency for gifting to creators. The Commission is worried this so-called "task and reward" feature could negatively impact the mental health of young users by "stimulating addictive behavior."

The EU wrote that the second probe will focus on TikTok's compliance with the DSA obligation to conduct and submit a risk assessment report prior to the launch of the "Task and Reward Lite" program, with a particular focus on negative effects on mental health, including minors' mental health. It also said it will look into measures taken by TikTok to mitigate those risks. In a press release announcing the action, the EU said ByeDance failed to produce a risk assessment about the feature which it had asked to see last week -- when it gave the company 24 hours to produce the document. Since it failed to submit the risk assessment paperwork on April 18 the Commission wrote that it suspects a "prima facie infringement of the DSA."

Re:EU regulates croissants, says they taste too go

[alvinrod]

If adults want to use something addictive and terrible for them, that's their own choice. We let them smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and in more and more countries consume recreational drugs. Yet I can't think of any country where it's okay to market or sell those same substances to children and doing so would see you fined or arrested.

Social media is not good for children. They shouldn't be using it. More time playing with children, preferably outside, but definitely away from technology.

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[taustin]

Social media is not good for children. They shouldn't be using it. More time playing with children, preferably outside, but definitely away from technology.

Seems to me that's something that parents should be handling.

Is the government going to send someone out to forcibly drag children out into the yard and beat them until they play? (And that may well be the ultimate goal.)

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[Anonymous Coward]

The parents *are* handling it. They're handling it by voting into office some people who promised to do something about it on their behalf.

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[zoloto]

I may be a little jaded but voting in these people doesn't seem to be actually helping get either a) what people want or b) what's really good for the nation and society as a whole.

Re: EU regulates croissants, says they taste too g

[zabbey]

So the parents... they're, like, too dumb or something? How come these dumb ass parents don't let their kids smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol or mainline heroin? Are they just too dumb to decide that their kids can't use Facebook but not too dumb to let their kids shoot dope? Those dummies shouldn't even be allowed to have children if they let them watch videos on their phones.

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[thegarbz]

If adults want to use something addictive and terrible for them, that's their own choice. We let them smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol

Actually that's not true. In many countries we actively try and regulate away the addictive component or regulate to counteract the addiction (when it's chemical). E.g. You're free to buy cigarettes as an adult. But manufacturers are not free to show them to you. Here they are literally allowed to not be on display, because seeing something strengthens your addiction (as does marketing, something which is banned for cigarettes and gambling in many countries).

Additionally gambling companies here need to prov

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[Evtim]

Data suggests that Social media is worse than smoking! Incredible!

On the other hand, the list of best therapeutics against all kinds of forms of mental issues is headed by......dancing! Followed by resistance exercises, cardio, etc. Every medicinal - based treatment of mental issues has lower effectiveness than 30 minutes resistance training per day.

Ha, I was a life time smoker until recently, but never went into social media of any kind. Ever. I eat animal fats and proteins plus veggies, sleep well, exerci

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[TwistedGreen]

New EU ruling: Any product with more than 10% sugar by weight must contain an equivalent amount of bitterant to discourage enjoyment.

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[Kerbifer]

Trying to do the slippery slope argument for something as insidious as foreign state algorithmic monopolies? Reductio ad absurdum. Not the smart man's choice of illustrating their point.

You don’t say.

[geekmux]

Social media? Addictive? Looking at the world today, who the hell is gonna define “addiction” now? An addict?

Not sure why we’re so very suddenly concerned a decade late and a few billion dollars worth of mental health profit later. Maybe the only thing someone was Lite on, was campaign contributions.

They only give the product away for free forever. Of course customers can quit anytime.

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[geekmux]

And it's a good thing that we're finally concerned about it. Smart phones are always-on Skinner Boxes, sapping people's motivation to take part in life itself.

Finally concerned, is an excuse reserved for the race of intelligent beings who had NO fucking clue about the concept of addiction before creating that always-on Skinner Box. Clearly I’m not talking about us humans.

A Skinner Box also implies experimentation. There is no more experimenting with addiction because there is little to debate anymore when it comes to the harm. We sure as hell aren’t wondering about the motivation to create addiction either. Let’s call this what it is. We a

Not really "Think of the children"

[colonslash]

https://jewishreviewofbooks.co... [jewishreviewofbooks.com]

Protecting Americans from TikTok’s political influence would be a gain to Israel’s standing with its most important ally. One month after the October 7 Hamas attack, TikTok videos with hashtags like #freepalestine were watched by Americans about fifty times more than pro-Israel ones. Although the app’s users skew young and hence leftward, their politics probably don’t account for the ratio.

Foget data privacy...

[La Onza]

The biggest threat from with Tik Tok is that a despotic totalitarian regime controls it and can use it to funnel propaganda favorable to it – and, just as importantly, to suppress anything that puts it in a bad light – in a psychologically palatable, almost subliminal form to the populace of its adversary – us. And I am quite convinced that anybody who believes they are immune to such persuasive manipulation is profoundly naive, and a prime target.

Big surprise

[registrations_suck]

EU investigating tech companies. Who knew?!?

It should rename itself Investigative Union (IU).

ironic on many levels

[Big Hairy Gorilla]

Seriously people. Social media is addictive. It's not a secret at all. We all know it. And we are all addicted so... SHHHHHH !!
Addicted people don't want to talk about their addictions. That's the main tool of the addict: passive aggression. Change the subject basically. Never never bring up the bad behaviour. That way it sort of doesn't exist.

Anyways, you're all addicts. Just sayin...

So far all the comments are pretty unaware that addiction..... might be a bad thing.... for children...

also for yourselves,

it's not just TikTok, or just social media...

[damn_registrars]

There is ample evidence that we screwed up an entire generation of kids with constant exposure to screens and social media [barnesandnoble.com]. The addictions we're seeing right now are just the tip of the iceberg, compared to what we're going to see as Gen Z grows up. Kids are growing up and missing out on very important developmental milestones because of what we're willingly exposing them to.

We can't sound these alarm bells loud enough. We have plenty of evidence of what kids who miss out on actual socialization end up as when they become legal adults, and it's not great.

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[Evtim]

Until fairly recently the professionals refused to make or even discuss the connection.

The people who sounded the alarm bell were ridiculed. Including here, on /. - see the responses to Jonathan Haidt's suggestion to ban smartphones until age of 16. It was here a few weeks ago. Immediately our resident woksters went full attack mode. Guess why?

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[damn_registrars]

Woksters? I see the proposal to take smartphones - and screens in general - from teenagers and adolescents as being a very progressive thing to do. I can see how some people might be opposed to it becoming any sort of law, but I see the suggestion as being solidly rooted in evidence. I'm reading "The Anxious Generation" right now myself, and the studies that the book is based on have exceptionally clear results.

What the hell is TikTok Lite?

[sonoronos]

So now thereâ(TM)s a Lite version of TikTok?

News to meâ¦is this some kind of ad masquerading as a story?

Morons

[Big Bipper]

Don't they realize that every company that makes or produces anything always tries to make their product more appealing so that their customers come back ?