Why read this: This article asks a question your students already live with: are shopping apps designed to make you spend too much? It links three things they often see online — TikTok-style videos, livestream shopping, and short sales — to a real medical problem called shopping addiction. Students meet the European Union as a regulator, hear from a former shopaholic, and see how China leads the world in this new kind of shopping.
What to notice: The article is built in three steps. First, it shows how online apps mix shopping with fun. Second, it shows that governments and researchers are worried. Third, it shows that China started these ideas, and they are now spreading to the West. Notice the words "may" and "can" — the writer uses them to show that these are ideas, not certain facts. Notice also how numbers are made simple: "5 in every 100 people" is easier to picture than "5%".
Skills practised: Students practise following an argument across many short paragraphs. They learn to spot signal words at the start of paragraphs ("Now", "Why", "Much of this research"). They also practise reading numbers in context and using two pieces of information from different paragraphs to answer one question. The open questions ask them to explain reasons and to compare two countries using clear evidence.
Are you addicted to shopping?
Apps mix shopping with fun videos. Some people cannot stop spending.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
Have you ever scrolled through social media late at night and bought something you did not really need? Many people have, and some shop so often that they cannot stop. Doctors call this problem shopping addiction.
Shopping is changing fast. Apps like TikTok now mix shopping with fun videos, and a new kind of selling called has grown quickly. A friendly host shows products on a live video, plays games, gives quizzes, and chats with viewers. The goal is simple: make you want to buy.
Governments and researchers are worried that these apps push people to spend too much. A few years ago, the European Union made a rule that says online platforms must not trick their users. Now the European Commission is looking at Temu, a Chinese shopping app, partly because of its . Many new studies on shopping addiction have also come out lately.
This problem is serious. Unlike gambling, shopping is something everyone must do, so it can be hard to spot when shopping becomes an illness. Studies in several countries say about 5 in every 100 people have it. This is much more than a normal : it can hurt families and leave people in heavy debt. Avis Cardella, a former shopaholic, says she would buy things "as if in a dream", and felt out of control.
People have shopped online for years, but what is new is how they shop. In America, people will spend about $86 billion through social media this year, which is about 6 in every 100 dollars spent online. More than 1 in 5 online shoppers will buy something from a livestream. Shopping can change the brain: it gives a quick rush of pleasure, then the good feeling drops. "It's not about the things you buy," says Pamela Roberts, a therapist. "It's the excitement, and then the shame afterwards."
Why is online shopping so hard to resist? Friends and strangers post reviews and tips, which can make people feel they must buy too. A 2025 study linked compulsive online shopping to a . Brands use this feeling: they show happy customers and offer short sales that end soon. Chinese researchers also point to small "mood signals" in livestreams, such as a host's jokes or live chat, that may push people to buy.
Much of this research comes from China for a reason. Online shops there started these ideas first. sales in China will pass $1 trillion this year, far more than in America. By the end of 2024, three in four Chinese internet users were watching livestreams. In one 2023 survey, almost 80% of people said they struggled to control their online shopping.
Chinese ideas are now spreading abroad. Western shoppers spend hours scrolling through Temu and Shein, which are full of short sales and reward points. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, said its US shopping sales grew by 120% in early 2025, and its shopping feature also opened in France, Germany, and Italy. New rules to slow shoppers down may be unpopular, and design tricks will not turn everyone into an addict. As Mark Griffiths, an addiction expert, says: there is a between helping people and pushing them too far.
Have you ever scrolled through social media late at night and bought something you did not really need? Many people have, and some shop so often that they cannot stop. Doctors call this problem shopping addiction.
Shopping is changing fast. Apps like TikTok now mix shopping with fun videos, and a new kind of selling called has grown quickly. A friendly host shows products on a live video, plays games, gives quizzes, and chats with viewers. The goal is simple: make you want to buy.
Governments and researchers are worried that these apps push people to spend too much. A few years ago, the European Union made a rule that says online platforms must not trick their users. Now the European Commission is looking at Temu, a Chinese shopping app, partly because of its . Many new studies on shopping addiction have also come out lately.
This problem is serious. Unlike gambling, shopping is something everyone must do, so it can be hard to spot when shopping becomes an illness. Studies in several countries say about 5 in every 100 people have it. This is much more than a normal : it can hurt families and leave people in heavy debt. Avis Cardella, a former shopaholic, says she would buy things "as if in a dream", and felt out of control.
People have shopped online for years, but what is new is how they shop. In America, people will spend about $86 billion through social media this year, which is about 6 in every 100 dollars spent online. More than 1 in 5 online shoppers will buy something from a livestream. Shopping can change the brain: it gives a quick rush of pleasure, then the good feeling drops. "It's not about the things you buy," says Pamela Roberts, a therapist. "It's the excitement, and then the shame afterwards."
Why is online shopping so hard to resist? Friends and strangers post reviews and tips, which can make people feel they must buy too. A 2025 study linked compulsive online shopping to a . Brands use this feeling: they show happy customers and offer short sales that end soon. Chinese researchers also point to small "mood signals" in livestreams, such as a host's jokes or live chat, that may push people to buy.
Much of this research comes from China for a reason. Online shops there started these ideas first. sales in China will pass $1 trillion this year, far more than in America. By the end of 2024, three in four Chinese internet users were watching livestreams. In one 2023 survey, almost 80% of people said they struggled to control their online shopping.
Chinese ideas are now spreading abroad. Western shoppers spend hours scrolling through Temu and Shein, which are full of short sales and reward points. TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, said its US shopping sales grew by 120% in early 2025, and its shopping feature also opened in France, Germany, and Italy. New rules to slow shoppers down may be unpopular, and design tricks will not turn everyone into an addict. As Mark Griffiths, an addiction expert, says: there is a between helping people and pushing them too far.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What is livestream shopping?
- 02
Why is the European Commission looking at the Chinese app Temu?
- 03
What does the article suggest about online shopping in China compared to the United States?
- 04
Explain why some people find it hard to stop shopping online. Use two reasons from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Compare online shopping in China and in America, using numbers from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What is livestream shopping?
- 02
Why is the European Commission looking at the Chinese app Temu?
- 03
What does the article suggest about online shopping in China compared to the United States?
- 04
Explain why some people find it hard to stop shopping online. Use two reasons from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words
- 05
Compare online shopping in China and in America, using numbers from the article.
Suggested length: ~70 words