The European Commission has given TikTok 24 hours to provide a risk assessment of its new money-for-views TikTok Lite app.
The app, which has been launched in France and Spain, features a ‘Reward Program’ which allows users to earn points from watching videos, liking content and following creators.
These points can be exchanged for Amazon vouchers, gift cards or TikTok's coins currency.
The scheme is targeted at users aged 18 and over, but the Commission has raised concerns over the potential impact of the reward programme on minors.
“The Commission has sent TikTok a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA), asking for more details on the risk assessment the provider of TikTok should have carried out before deploying the new app TikTok Lite in the EU,” the Commision said in a statement.
The EU has also demanded more information on the mental health risks for users, particularly on whether the app will promote addictive behaviours.
TikTok will have until 26 April 2024 to provide these additional answers.
“The Commission is also requesting information about the measures the platform has put in place to mitigate such systemic risks,” it added.
The ByteDance-owned social media platform’s answers will then be analysed by the EU's politically independent executive arm.
“We have already been in direct contact with the Commission regarding this product and will respond to the request for information,” TikTok said in a statement.
The Commission previously opened formal proceedings against TikTok in February 2024 on whether the platform breached the DSA in relation to the protection of minors.
It is also looking at the app’s advertising transparency and data access for researchers, as well as the risk management of addictive design and harmful content.
The Commission's investigation comes after the US House of Representatives passed a bill that could see TikTok banned in the country.
If signed into law, the bill would give TikTok's Chinese parent company ByteDance six months to sell its controlling stake, or the app will be blocked in the US.
However, to take effect the bill must still be passed by the US Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden.
