The Commission announced in April that it had opened formal proceedings against TikTok under the Digital Services Act (DSA) in relation to a ‘task and reward’ programme under the TikTok Lite branding.

Launched in Spain and France in April 2024, the programme allowed users to earn points while performing certain ‘tasks’ on TikTok Lite, including watching videos, liking content, following creators and inviting friends to join TikTok.

The Commission said it was concerned that the programme had been launched without a prior diligent assessment of the risks it entails, particularly in relation to the addictive effect of the rewards programme, and without taking effective risk-mitigating measures.

It also said the programme may stimulate addictive behaviour and could potentially have negative effects on the physical and mental health of users, particularly children.

TikTok has now made commitments to withdraw the TikTok Lite rewards programme from the EU permanently, and not to launch any other programme which would circumvent the withdrawal.

The Commission has now made the commitments legally binding, meaning that any breach of the commitments would immediately amount to a breach of the DSA and could therefore lead to fines.

After 105 days, it is now the first case to be closed by the Commission under the DSA.

There are currently separate formal proceedings open under the DSA against TikTok, as well as proceedings against X, AliExpress and Meta.

Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president for a Europe Fit for the Digital Age, said: “The safety and well-being of social media users need to be a number one priority.

“Design features on platforms with addictive effects put the well-being of their users at risk. That’s why we have made TikTok’s commitments under the DSA legally binding.

“We will carefully monitor TikTok’s compliance. Today’s decision also sends a clear message to the entire social media industry.”

Thierry Breton, commissioner for the internal market, added: “The available brain time of young Europeans is not a currency for social media — and it never will be.

“We have obtained the permanent withdrawal of TikTok Lite rewards programme, which could have had very addictive consequences. The DSA is in full swing.”