TikTok’s e-commerce offering, the TikTok Shop tab, is supposedly restricted to users who are 18 and older. However, a recent glitch on the platform seems to be allowing some teens access to the Shop tab. The issue arises when a teen lies about their age during sign-up and later pairs their account with their parent’s using TikTok’s parental controls. Despite the pairing process, the teen still has access to the adults-only feature.
TikTok’s parental controls, known as Family Pairing, allow adults to manage a teen account’s screen time, content choices, and account privacy. To set up Family Pairing, the teen selects the “Teen” option in the app’s settings and scans the parent’s QR code after the parent goes through the same steps on their end. However, even after enabling parental controls, the Shop tab remains accessible to the minor.
This poses a concern for parents as the Shop tab features adult items such as sex toys, lingerie, hemp products, and supplements. Additionally, TikTok has struggled to keep banned goods out of its marketplace. The lack of a place to verify a user’s date of birth associated with a TikTok account makes it challenging for the platform to identify and restrict underage users.
TechCrunch conducted tests to verify this loophole in TikTok’s parental controls. They created a new TikTok account for a user over 18 and paired it with an adult’s account using Family Pairing. The Shop tab remained accessible to the teen account, even when various settings were adjusted. The only way to disable access to the Shop tab was to enable Restricted Mode, which proved to be a convoluted process.
TikTok acknowledged the loophole and stated that the app does not consider the age a user stated upon sign-up when deciding whether to show TikTok Shop. Instead, TikTok expects users to provide their correct age. The company encourages users to report possible underage accounts. However, enabling parental controls on a teen’s account does not remove their access to the Shop tab, despite indicating that the user is not an adult.
TikTok should prompt parents to confirm their child’s age during the Family Pairing setup process or notify them if their child has entered a birthdate indicating they are older than 18. This information would help parents make more informed choices about the content their child is exposed to on the app.
It remains unclear whether TikTok will address this loophole. The TikTok Shop has the potential to become a significant feature for the platform, attracting younger shoppers and offering a Gen Z-friendly alternative to e-commerce retailers like Amazon. However, it is crucial for TikTok to prioritize user safety and ensure that age restrictions are enforced effectively.