On a new European app, TikTok tips the scales in favor of “joyful and entertaining content”

As it ramps up its presence in Europe, TikTok is trying to stay positive. A new app called TikTok Pro offers a more joyful experience for users in Germany, Portugal, and Spain, and it also connects to a charitable effort called the Sunshine Programme.

In a blog post, TikTok explained that it designed TikTok Pro to put safety first, offering a more educational and upbeat experience compared to the standard For You Page. The German App Store listing for the new product adds more context to that mission by citing “helpful videos” and “engaging STEM content” as two genres that are widely available on TikTok Pro.

TikTok Pro is also designed with nonprofits, NGOs, and other charitable organizations in mind. Through the Sunshine Programme, TikTok will debut an in-app currency called “virtual Sunshine.” Users can accumulate Sunshine by liking, reposting, and searching for content posted by charities. Those earnings can then be contributed to campaigns run by Sunshine Programme partners, with TikTok pledging to match the donations. Launch partners for the initiative include Doctors Without Borders, WaterAid, Aktion Deutschland Hilft, and the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union.

This is not the first time that TikTok has adjusted its algorithm to deliver more beneficial content to European communities. In 2023, it delivered a depersonalized version of its app in response to mounting pressure from the European Union, which has checked the power of social platforms through its Digital Services Act.

E.U. regulations have also hampered TikTok’s previous attempts to bring a gamified feed to European users. The ByteDance-owned company was compelled to scale back a rewards program called TikTok Lite after regulators determined that the product was “likely to have a critical impact on systemic risks.” By tying its latest form of in-app rewards to a charitable mission, TikTok is likely to draw a more favorable response from the E.U.

Of course, TikTok’s regulatory woes are not limited to Europe. As the app looks to skirt a federal ban in the United States, it has ramped up its investment in European regions, seemingly treating the continent as a contingency plan. TikTok Pro is the latest effort in that area — it’s currently available in Germany and Portugal and it will arrive in Spain soon.