TikTok launched its “Task and Rewards” programme last week in France and Spain.
It is a new feature on TikTok Lite, a slimmed-down version of the main social media app, which uses less data and space on users’ phones.
Under the programme, users can earn the equivalent of a few pence per day for watching videos and engaging on the app.
The Commission is investigating whether this could have negative effects on the mental health of users, including children, “especially as a result of the new feature stimulating addictive behaviour”.
TikTok says rewards are only open to people over the age of 18, and tools are in place to verify their ages.
But the Commission suspects a “lack of effective age verification mechanisms”.
TikTok has no plans to roll the feature out beyond France and Spain as it stands. It is also available in some countries in southeast Asia.
