"This is Not Excluded": Ursula von der Leyen

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has stated that a ban on the TikTok service in the European Union is not out of the question.

The EU is particularly concerned about the negative impact the app may have on users, specifically regarding the reward systems of TikTok Lite.

"This is not excluded," von der Leyen said during a debate in Maastricht, as reported by Politico.

She added that the European Commission was the first in the world to ban its employees from downloading TikTok on their work phones.

In April, the European Commission sent a report to TikTok's owners as part of an investigation into the social network's lighter version, TikTok Lite. One of the features of TikTok Lite is a cash reward system for users, based on the number of video views, regular visits to the platform, and other tasks.

The European Commission believes that this encourages users to spend more time on the app and leads to addiction.