Temu – maybe you’ve come across it before, or perhaps your kids have heard of it. It is the most popular Chinese webshop-app taking over the world at light speed. Temu sells everything (literally everything) you could possibly think of, for prices that cannot lead to anything but a loss. Through this, the app is very popular amongst kids that want to spend their pocket money on cheap products. But beware of what the app brings with it, as it is in fact too good to be true…
Free is never really free
Besides selling cheap products, kids like Temu because they can win free things to be delivered to the door by simply playing games or watching an advertisement. Kids’ young age makes them vulnerable to these types of “fun” challenges and rewards, as they are unaware of the fact that free products are never really free… As soon as they download and use the app, they have become the product. The free products come at the expense of their privacy.
Paying with privacy
Temu’s main goal (in contrast to other web shops) is not to actually sell as many products as they can, but to get as many people as possible to download the app, as a way for their profit model to act like a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Downloading the app appears to grant the company excessive access to personal data, as well as access to the device’s camera (even when not actively in use), microphone and permission to take screenshots (for instance of online banking details). Temu is also permitted to install programs on your phone, to be able to collect more information which can be sold to third parties.
In short, downloading Temu can be compared to a stalker who keeps track of your every move. Does your child use Temu or do they talk about it because others are using it? Tell them that downloading the app is not a wise choice and explain why per this article.
Do they still want to buy something from the web shop and you are okay with this? Consider the following tips
- Visit the web shop with your browser’s incognito mode instead of using the app
- Make a profile using a temporary email address, rather than using social media login
- Only use secure payment methods such as PayPal or iDEAL
In the app (iOS | Android) you will find a complete App Guide with all the information and latest updates about the most popular apps used by kids.
