A student glances over their shoulder, slipping a lip gloss into their pocket, and their body rushes with adrenaline. This thrill, though sought after by many teens, is illegal.
Social media has helped normalize stealing for some teens. Trending sounds and viral videos on social media platforms like TikTok show people boasting about the amount they have gotten away with stealing, making it seem ‘cool.’
Teenagers have been shoplifting because of TikTok trends since 2021’s devious licks. More recently, videos have gone viral with the lyrics “I love robbery and fraud, I’m a shoplifting god” paired with a collection of stolen items.
In the past, minor shoplifting had few repercussions because of the low prosecution threshold. These loopholes served as a ‘safety net’ from misdemeanors and from impacting students’ permanent records. However, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law in August 2024, allowing authorities to arrest those participating in shoplifting, regardless of the amount stolen.
Some blame this new habit on inflation and the overpricing of cheap products. “I know it’s wrong, but I blame everything for being too expensive. It’s not my fault,” an anonymous junior said. “They take my money and overcharge me.”
Some teens don’t have jobs and use their parents’ money for most purchases, leading to guilt for spending high amounts. “It’s not like I steal crazy expensive things, but it’s just because I feel bad about spending my parent’s money, so I’d rather just take it,” the junior said.
“Trends on TikTok showing what it’s like to ‘borrow’ from Sephora make it seem like it’s a very victimless crime,” Samantha Richardson, manager at the Stanford Shopping Center’s Sephora, said.
“The problem is, even though someone is stealing from a large corporation, the money that got stolen, quite literally, is cutting into hours that we can pay for the wages of our workers,” Richardson said. “People don’t think about the bigger picture.”
Shoplifting also reflects the overconsumption caused by societal pressures to keep up with trends, as well as how social media can normalize “harmless” illegal activity.
