TikTok Glitch Allows Teens Access to Adults-Only Shop Tab

TikTok Glitch Allows Teens Access to Adults-Only Shop Tab

A glitch on TikTok is reportedly allowing teenagers to access the TikTok Shop tab, which is intended for users 18 and older according to the platform's policy. This issue arises when a teen lies about their age during the initial sign-up process by entering a birth date that makes them appear 18 or older. Later, if a parent pairs their account with the teen's using TikTok's parental controls, the teen still retains access to the Shop tab.

TikTok's Family Pairing feature enables parents to manage their teen's screen time, content choices, and account privacy after connecting the two accounts. During setup, the teen selects “Teen” when prompted about who is using the account and scans a QR code displayed by the parent after they identify as the “parent” on their end.

Despite activating parental controls, which should indicate that the user is under 18, the teen continues to have access to the Shop tab. This tab appears alongside TikTok’s For You and Following feeds on the app’s homepage.

TikTok shopping tab
Image credit: Newsroom|TikTok 

The Shop tab, intended for users over 18, may expose teens to adult items such as sex toys, lingerie, hemp products, supplements, weight gainers, and vape pens. Additionally, TikTok has struggled to keep banned goods out of its marketplace, as reported by Business Insider.

Parents should be aware of this glitch and the potential exposure of their teens to adult content on TikTok.