Why the US and EU are going after TikTok

TikTok is one of the most popular apps with children and young people worldwide, but it has also sparked considerable controversy. The Chinese video-sharing platform has been in the news recently as both the United States and the European Union have taken action against it.

What steps is the US taking against TikTok?

US President Joe Biden has signed a bill into action that forces TikTok's Chinese parent company to sell the app or face a US ban. This comes after the US Senate voted in favor of bill on Tuesday.

The bill stipulates that parent company ByteDance must sell off TikTok within 270 days, though provides a possibility for a 90-day extension if progress is made. Failing to do so, TikTok will be removed from the Apple app store and Google's Play Store.

The US move stems from data protection concerns. Chinese TikTok parent company ByteDance is suspected of giving or being forced into passing on user data to the Chinese Communist Party. In the US, some 170 million people currently use the app. There are also concerns China could use TikTok to spread propaganda and disinformation. TikTok itself rejects these accusations.

Why is the EU taking aim at TikTok?

The EU has also set its sights on TikTok, albeit for entirely different reasons. A probe will examine whether TikTok Lite's reward function — allowing users to earn money for certain tasks — endangers the mental health of young app users and thus violates EU rules. The new app has been available in France and Spain since April.

Large social media platforms such as Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok have had to comply with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA) since August 2023. The DSA is intended to prevent illegal or harmful online practices. The EU also prohibits "dark patterns" designed to keep users coming back to online platforms.

The EU Commission criticizes TikTok for launching the new TikTok Lite app in France and Spain without having sufficiently assessed the risks beforehand. TikTok had until April 18 to submit a risk report but initially missed the deadline. It was then given another deadline and submitted a risk assessment this Tuesday, according to TikTok.

In doing so, TikTok has for now avoided steep EU fines. The bloc, after all, can impose fines of up to 1% percent of total annual company revenue. The EU could also block TikTok Lite's controversial reward function.

Back in February, the EU already launched a probe into TikTok over child protection concerns.

Why is TikTok Lite considered so addictive?

TikTok Lite differs from the standard TikTok app in that it builds on a rewards system. Anyone who watches videos, likes content and invites friends to join TikTok Lite can earn digital coins in return, which can be exchanged for Amazon vouchers and other rewards. This rewards system is highly addictive, says the EU Commission.

TikTok Lite, which also features many music and dance videos, is particularly popular with children and young people. According to the terms of use, individuals must be at least 13 years old to use the app. Anyone under the age of 18 also needs either their parents or legal guardians to give their consent, although it is not clear whether the platform checks users' age, according to the Commission.

Is TikTok more addictive than other social media platforms?

The video-sharing platform's algorithms are slightly different than those used by other social media platforms and may therefore get users hooked faster. TikTok displays videos that other users find appealing instead of primarily focusing on content from accounts that a user subscribes to.

TikTok's algorithms are extremely intelligent. The more time users spend on TikTok, the more precisely the platform can predict what content they might like.

This is not without consequences. In March 2023, US daily The Washington Post cited a study which found that almost half of all adolescent girls on TikTok reported feeling addicted to the platform. Researchers found that when girls use TikTok, they spend more than 2.5 hours on the platform, with those experiencing symptoms of depression logging even longer times. Some of these girls reported using the app practically all the time.

A Pew Research Center later that same year found that 17% of teens described their TikTok use as "almost constant." No other app seems to have such a strong pull on young people.

This article was originally written in German. It was updated on April 25.