The new TikTok Lite application raises concerns in the European Union and France, as they fear that the principle on which it is based may stimulate addictive behavior among young people, as it rewards users who spend a certain number of minutes daily watching video clips, with virtual coins that they can exchange for a card. To buy gifts.
On Wednesday, the European Commission asked TikTok to provide it with clarifications within 24 hours about the risks associated with publishing its new application in France and Spain.
This official request comes within the framework of the new European legislation on digital services (DSA), and concerns “the potential impact of the new +rewards+ program on the protection of minors and the mental health of users,” in particular “the potential stimulation of addictive behavior,” according to the European Commission.
The TikTok Lite app, owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, was launched without much fanfare at the end of March, and it rewards users with virtual coins if they log in daily for ten days, and if they spend time watching videos (max. 60 to 85). minutes per day), and also if they do certain things, including, for example, liking video clips and following content creators.
These virtual coins can then be exchanged for gift cards on partner sites, such as Amazon.
The professor of information and communications sciences at the University of Lorraine in eastern France says that the principle of turning platforms into something similar to “games” is “a well-known and problematic phenomenon that creates a state of dependency.”
The social network has stated on several occasions that only people aged 18 or over can collect virtual money, and that it applies procedures to verify the age of users.
TikTok told Agence France-Presse that verification procedures include taking a personal photo with an ID card, taking personal video clips, or an authorization on a bank card, which is necessary to convert virtual currencies into purchase vouchers.
“hypocrisy”
But the company is having difficulty convincing users with its new service.
“It is the height of hypocrisy,” Cordier explains. “They know very well that circumventing (the rules of verification) will be possible.”
“It is very difficult to verify age. You can always take your parents’ bank card,” says Maria Mercanti-Guerin, a lecturer in digital marketing at the Paris Business School.
French Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Marina Ferrari said on Wednesday that the European Commission’s request for information “is moving in the right direction.” She had expressed her “concern” following the launch of “Tik Tok Lite.”
The ministry is studying “with the greatest interest the user interface mechanisms” of the application, which it describes as a “suspicious drift,” at a time when France has begun “to think about ‘screen time’,” that is, the time that users, especially young people, spend in front of the screen, according to Minister.
Tik Tok, which focuses especially on dance or music videos, has succeeded in attracting more than 1.5 billion users around the world, but it has been accused for years in the United States and Europe of distracting young people by focusing on content described as superficial.
TikTok confirmed to AFP that it is in direct contact with the European Commission regarding TikTok Lite and intends to provide a response. It is the subject of an investigation launched by the Commission in February, over alleged failures to protect minors under the Digital Services Law.
This raises doubts about the timing of this launch, which appears to be a “provocation,” according to Maria Mercante Guerin.
TikTok mainly seeks to attract new users and fight the stagnation in user growth in Europe, according to the American website “The Information”, which was able to access an internal document of the company.
In Europe, the application is only available on 13% of Android devices, compared to 37% for Instagram and 59% for Facebook, according to the same source.
“The social network that does not grow dies,” says Maria Mercante Guerin.
With the new rewards system, TikTok also seeks to improve user engagement, which is fundamental in this sector.
Mercanti Guerin asserts that “their advertising credibility is at stake, because brands do not invest in networks with low engagement rates.”
She points out that “Tik Tok Lite will work to increase this interaction almost artificially,” noting that the social network is already performing well in this area.
But the rate of interaction is trending downward on social media, according to the expert, who points out that this interaction begins very strong, then ends in stagnation.
