TikTok Lite recently hit pause on its reward system in the EU due to concerns raised by regulators.
According to The Verge, the feature - which allowed users in France and Spain to earn small amounts daily for interacting with videos - came under scrutiny for its potential to encourage addiction, especially among younger users.
TikTok Lite was introduced as a simpler version of the main app, designed for regions with slower internet connections.
Its reward system, similar to schemes in parts of Asia, allowed users to earn "coins" by doing activities like watching ads and liking videos, which they could then exchange for things like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) vouchers or PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) gift cards.
However, the payouts were pretty low; you'd only make about 38 cents for an hour of engagement.
The European Commission, acting under the Digital Services Act, flagged worries about the feature's potential addictive impact, particularly on kids.
"Unless TikTok provides compelling proof of safety -which it failed to do until now-we stand ready to trigger [DSA] interim measures including the suspension of the TikTokLite 'reward program'," European Commissioner Thierry Breton tweeted.
Despite TikTok's claim that the feature wasn't accessible to users under 18, the commission doubted the platform's ability to verify users' ages effectively.