"Get 100,000 Won Cash for Referring Friends"... TikTok Lite Causes Addiction Among Teenagers

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Social Networking Service (SNS) 'TikTok'. Photo by Yonhap News

The number of domestic users of the social networking service (SNS) 'TikTok Lite,' which was launched less than a year ago, has surpassed 4.5 million.

According to WiseApp, a service analyzing apps, retail, and goods, the number of TikTok Lite users exceeded 4.5 million last month. After surpassing 1 million users for the first time in March this year (1.19 million), the user base has been rapidly increasing. TikTok Lite is a lightweight version of the app 'TikTok,' developed in China and wildly popular both domestically and internationally, and was launched in Korea in December last year. Compared to the original TikTok, it features fewer functions and focuses primarily on video viewing.

The reason TikTok Lite has gained such popularity in a short period appears to be its unprecedented rewards. Currently, TikTok Lite offers 100,000 KRW in cash to users who bring friends to the platform. When invited friends sign up and perform activities such as attendance checks, watching videos, and pressing 'Like,' even more rewards are given. This amount is far more attractive compared to the 10 to 100 KRW points offered by other reward-based platforms.

However, alongside its soaring popularity, concerns are also rising. When worries were raised in Europe that TikTok Lite's cash rewards could deepen digital addiction, investigations began, and TikTok eventually stopped the cash rewards. An official from the European Union (EU) Commission stated, "TikTok Lite is suspected to be as harmful and addictive as tobacco."

Similar movements have started domestically as well. In July, the Korea Communications Commission launched a research project to analyze the current status of digital platforms and user protection. They plan to comprehensively examine whether there are any regulatory issues with TikTok Lite and to release research results within this year, including concerns about addiction caused by cash rewards.