📱 Loophole Allows Teen Access
Some teens on TikTok are finding ways around the app's age restrictions to access TikTok Shop, an e-commerce feature restricted to users 18 and older. The issue arises when teens lie about their age during sign-up and later set up Family Pairing with their parents. Even after parental controls are in place, the teen's access to TikTok Shop remains unchanged, exposing them to adult products.
👨👩👧 Family Pairing Process
Family Pairing is designed to help parents manage their teen's TikTok account. Parents can control screen time, content, and privacy settings. During setup, the teen selects "Teen" and the parent selects "Parent." The parent's account is then connected to the teen's via a QR code. Despite this setup, teens who lied about their age still have access to the Shop tab, allowing them to view and purchase adult items.
🛍️ Access to Adult Products
TikTok Shop includes various adult items like sex toys, lingerie, and vape pens. Parents may believe their teens are safe with Family Pairing enabled, but the Shop tab remains accessible unless Restricted Mode is turned on. However, activating Restricted Mode is complicated and may require uninstalling and reinstalling the app. This loophole means parents might not realize their teens can still access adult content.
📣 TikTok's Response
TikTok stated that the Shop feature should be restricted to users 18 and older, as per its policy. They rely on users to provide their correct age. TikTok offers tools to report underage accounts but doesn't automatically check ages during Family Pairing setup. TikTok could improve safety by prompting parents to confirm their child's age during setup. The company has not yet indicated if it will close this loophole.
Should TikTok update its parental controls process?
