Cheap shopping apps popular with tweens and teens. The concerns are less about content and more about dark-pattern spending, data collection, and unsafe or counterfeit products.
Official age
13+
We recommend
16+
Developer
Various (PDD Holdings, Roadget Business)
Risks
3
Temu and Shein are very cheap online-shopping apps that are hugely popular with tweens and teenagers. The issues are different from social apps: the gamified interface is full of dark patterns designed to keep you spinning wheels and buying, the apps collect a lot of data, and consumer bodies including Which? have raised concerns about product safety and counterfeits. There is little content moderation risk, but plenty of spending and data risk.
Children browse for cheap clothes, gadgets, and trends they have seen on TikTok. The apps use countdown timers, spin-to-win games, and 'almost gone' prompts to encourage impulse buys, and push frequent notifications. Some children spend more than intended, share personal and payment data, or buy items that do not meet UK safety standards.
Payment and spending controls
Location: Device family settings and the app account
Set to: Do not store card details; require approval for purchases
The apps are engineered to make spending frictionless and frequent. Not saving a card and requiring approval breaks the impulse-buy loop.
Notifications and permissions
Location: Phone settings → the app → notifications and permissions
Set to: Turn off notifications; deny unnecessary permissions
Constant notifications drive re-engagement and spending. Limiting notifications and app permissions reduces both the nudges and the data the app can collect.
Check whether Temu or Shein is installed and whether a card is saved to the account
Time: 10 minutes
Talk about dark patterns — the timers, spin-wheels, and 'selling out' prompts are designed to make them buy, not to help them
Time: 15 minutes
Turn off the app's notifications and review what data and permissions it has
Time: 10 minutes
In immediate danger: call 999. For non-emergency police matters, call 101.
Concerned about a child but it's not an emergency? NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000. Childline for young people 0800 1111.
Last reviewed: 2026-07-27