TikTok Lite rewards users for spending time on the app. Could that lead to addiction?
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00:00Watching TikTok videos, giving a like here and there, and earning money with it.
00:05This is one of the promises of the app TikTok Lite.
00:09Sounds perfect!
00:10Well, the European Union wasn't too happy with the concept,
00:14and TikTok Lite withdrew its so-called rewards program there.
00:18Here's what happened and why it should matter to you.
00:21But first, what exactly is TikTok Lite?
00:25In a nutshell, the app is a stripped-down version of TikTok.
00:28You can recognize it by the little flash in the app icon.
00:32It consumes less data, meaning it runs even on old or less powerful smartphones
00:37or in areas with slow internet.
00:40According to App Store statistics, TikTok Lite is very successful.
00:45With more than 1 billion downloads globally, that's nearly half of what TikTok has.
00:50And while TikTok Lite lacks several functions, it has one unique feature.
00:55A rewards program for people watching and liking videos.
00:59Users can earn points for doing so.
01:02Once they have collected enough points, they can swap them for real-world money.
01:07For example, Amazon vouchers or TikTok's in-app currency, TikTok Coins.
01:12Each user has a daily target to reach 3,600 coins.
01:16That's about 36 European cents.
01:19This can be achieved by consuming new content for about an hour.
01:23In Europe, the platform expected each user to earn around one euro every day
01:28by being on the app for about three hours.
01:31Sounds pretty straightforward.
01:33So what did the EU complain about?
01:36In April of this year, TikTok Lite was rolled out without much fanfare in Spain and France only.
01:43The EU then started investigating and asked TikTok for a risk assessment
01:48of the app's rewards feature.
01:50Lawmakers argued that it might be addictive by design
01:54and lead to compulsive behavior, particularly in children.
01:58Many aspects of TikTok are particularly appealing to children and teenagers
02:02and they find ways to get the app installed.
02:05The available brain time of young Europeans is not a currency for social media
02:10and it never will be.
02:12This is what the European Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a statement.
02:15I guess that sums it up perfectly.
02:18Facing this kind of pressure, the company decided to ditch the rewards program.
02:22This week, the EU closed the case.
02:25You think the EU's point of view is right?
02:27Or do they exaggerate?
02:30Well, when it comes to TikTok Lite and other Lite versions of apps,
02:34there is more to consider.
02:36For example, user safety.
02:39Lite versions of apps have been around for a while.
02:42Meta, the back then still Facebook,
02:44pioneered the idea with Facebook Lite in 2015.
02:48The promise behind the idea?
02:50Making Facebook services available for emerging markets
02:53in South America, Asia and Africa or the global south.
02:58But Lite versions of apps are often not only Lite in data consumption,
03:03but also in safety features.
03:05The reason? It's cheaper.
03:07And the legislation in the targeted countries allows it.
03:10According to an investigation by the Mozilla Foundation,
03:14TikTok Lite is missing warning labels and banners
03:17that are available in the full version.
03:20For example, do not perform this action,
03:23graphic content and also health warning labels.
03:27Apart from that, it lacks user control features.
03:30Users can't filter their comments
03:32and there is no option to set content preferences either.
03:36So as a user, you are at higher risk of being confronted
03:40with hateful comments or content that is triggering for you.
03:44And last but not least, you can't manage your screen time either.
03:47Perhaps little surprising for an app that pays you for spending time with it.
03:53What do you think of Lite apps?
03:55A security risk for users, especially children,
03:58or a fair alternative for people who can't afford expensive smartphones
04:02or who live in areas with slow network?
04:05Let us know.