Earn money by watching videos: this is what TikTok offered with a new version of its app which rewards screen time with vouchers. But in the face of pressure from the EU, the function was removed.
Do you also have the habit, whenever you have a moment, of entertaining yourself by watching videos on TikTok? At the same time, the platform’s algorithm does its job perfectly by offering a personalized feed that perfectly matches your desires. Result: you spend several hours a day scrolling through content, without even realizing it. ByteDance, the company behind the Chinese social network, has decided to take the concept further. Imagine earning money by logging into TikTok, scrolling through videos or liking them. This is what TikTok Lite offered until recently, the new application put online discreetly at the end of March in France and Spain by the Chinese giant.
TikTok Lite: paying for your available brain time
Presented as a version that consumes less data and storage space of the original social network – just as there is a Facebook Lite app – it offers an interface almost identical to that of its big sister, with its stream of videos to make scroll uninterruptedly. HAS one exception. Indeed, there was a “Rewards” tab as well as a system of virtual coins to accumulate – a bit like in certain mobile games -: 300 tokens for registration, 4,500 additional if you connected daily for ten days, 4,200 coins when you watch 25 minutes of video, 150 tokens if you follow three creators or like three videos… All with reward levels and an omnipresent gauge on the screen, which fills over time viewing.
These coins were then exchangeable for vouchers or gift certificates on different sites – only on Amazon and PayPal initially – but also to reward content creators on the social network, through virtual gifts. Suffice to say that you will have to scroll a lot before you can afford something, because
TikTok Lite: the company forced to backtrack
It is therefore hardly surprising that TikTok Lite immediately aroused many concerns, due to the dangerous message it sent and the increased risk of addiction it presented. Especially since putting in place a financial incentive for overconsumption of content seemed to go completely against the recommendations of caution with regard to screen time and addictive behavior linked to social networks, particularly among older people. youth. ByteDance assured that the remuneration system was reserved for those over 18 and that it had put in place means of verification – a selfie with an identity document, a video selfie or a bank card authorization was necessary to convert coins into vouchers – we all knew how easy these restrictions are to circumvent…
Also, the European Commission opened an investigation on Monday April 22 about the new application, threatening to suspend from Thursday April 25 the function which rewards time spent on the platform. She considered that the mechanism posed “serious risks for the mental health of users”. Moreover, ByteDance had not communicated to Brussels, before its launch, a risk assessment, in accordance with its obligations under the new digital services legislation (DSA).
Faced with pressure, the network announced that it would suspend “voluntarily” function. In a statement published on April 24, the social network said : “TikTok always seeks to engage constructively with the European Commission and other regulators. We are therefore voluntarily suspending the reward features in TikTok Lite while we address the concerns they have raised.” From there to saying that the company knew that its report would not eliminate the risks, there is only one step…