A teen's account of a parent who "scrolls Temu like social media" resonated with the r/Anticonsumption subreddit, as commenters argue that low-cost shopping apps can make compulsive buying look like casual entertainment.
What's happening?
Looking for advice, a 17-year-old wrote that their mom "loves shopping on Temu," keeps buying them items they do not want, and sometimes is not honest about where the gifts came from.
They said the issue is not only the purchases themselves. The teen wrote that their mother is "always disappointed" when the gifts do not land and said they are uneasy that she spends her spare time scrolling the app.
Most replies treated the situation less as a one-off family habit and more as a sign of how Temu is built. Commenters were highly sympathetic, and several described the app as addictive, with one calling it a "slot machine" disguised as a store.
People also pointed to the platform's game-like mechanics, including prize wheels, and one commenter referenced BBC reporting that linked Temu's gamification to addictive behavior.
Suggestions generally focused either on exposing the scale of the spending or replacing the routine with something offline, such as adding up monthly purchases or going bargain hunting together at flea markets.
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Why does it matter?
Because each order looks inexpensive on its own, commenters said the pattern can be easy to miss until someone sees the monthly total all at once.
Money that disappears into repetitive impulse buys could instead go toward bills, savings, or a few items that are actually useful and longer-lasting.
The replies also emphasized what gets left behind. One commenter described sorting through "piles and piles and piles" of online purchases after a parent died, framing the habit not as collecting bargains but as creating future trash and emotional burden.
Beyond the household impact, ultra-cheap goods often carry environmental costs when unwanted products are quickly discarded, turning constant scrolling into a cycle of overconsumption and waste. That can especially be damaging when it comes to the fast fashion category.
What can I do?
Commenters suggested starting with a calm, nonjudgmental conversation focused on shared concerns: spending, clutter, and disappointment around unwanted gifts.
One practical place to start is reviewing recent orders together so the cumulative price of many "small" purchases is harder to ignore.
Some commenters also recommended replacing the app routine with a lower-pressure version of bargain hunting, like going to flea markets together. Those options can still deliver the fun of treasure hunting while helping shoppers stay on budget and keep usable goods in circulation.
If the scrolling itself seems compulsive, reducing notifications, deleting payment info, or taking the app off a main screen may make impulse purchases less automatic.
For the OP, they were still working on their mom.
"I know why she does it but sadly all my attempts at directing her toward other fun things haven't worked so far since she's very stubborn whenever i try to advice something or show her something new," they added in an update.
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