Introduction

In the fashion industry, few forces are as influential or fast-moving as teenage consumers. From the Youthquake movement of the 1960s to today’s viral TikTok microtrends, their reach extends well beyond purchasing power. Teenagers drive trends, influence marketing strategies, and redefine how and why consumers shop online. This influence is chiefly evident in the rise of social commerce, where platforms like Instagram and TikTok blur the boundaries between entertainment, advertising, and shopping. Within these spaces, fashion has become increasingly data-driven. Brands deploy personalization tools and targeted content to foster deeper connections with teen audiences, delivering curated shopping experiences that feel both seamless and social.6

The structure of these digital marketplaces, designed to maximize user engagement, also shapes how users navigate, interact with, and respond to content. Features such as limited-time offers, streamlined checkout processes, and buy now, pay later (BNPL) options are engineered to encourage quick, frequent purchasing. While effective at boosting sales, these design choices raise questions about how digital architecture influences younger users’ decision-making. The reliance on behavioral data and persuasive interface design undermines transparency, informed choice, and data privacy. As fashion e-commerce evolves, it presents a timely opportunity to reassess regulatory frameworks and consider how they might better protect teen consumers navigating increasingly complex digital marketplaces. 

Notwithstanding their central role in shaping online retail, teenagers are among the least protected groups in digital commerce. Platforms such as TikTok Shop and Instagram Shop have introduced new modes of brand-consumer interaction that existing legal frameworks were not designed to anticipate. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), designed to safeguard the data of children under thirteen, does not extend protections to teenagers, leaving them vulnerable to extensive data collection, targeted advertising, and algorithmic profiling techniques. The Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) seeks to expand privacy protections to older minors. Questions persist, however, about whether existing frameworks adequately address challenges such as algorithmic targeting, AI-driven recommendations, and engagement-focused platform design.

Using fashion e-commerce as a case study, the analysis that follows examines the economic significance of teen consumers, the privacy risks they face in digital retail environments, and the adequacy of current and proposed legal protections. Part I traces the emergence of teenagers as a distinct consumer group and examines how marketing strategies have increasingly targeted this demographic. Part II analyzes how data-driven tools, including algorithmic personalization and in-app shopping features, interact with adolescent cognitive development and influence consumer behavior. Part III evaluates the existing legal landscape, focusing on COPPA and COPPA 2.0, and identifies critical gaps in age coverage, enforcement, and applicability to modern technologies. Part IV proposes targeted regulatory reforms, including expanded age protections and enhanced age verification requirements. Part V examines the practical implications of these reforms, demonstrating how stronger privacy protections for teens can coexist with commercial goals. In doing so, this article contributes to broader policy discussions on adolescent data privacy and the evolving responsibilities of companies operating in youth-centered digital markets. 

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From Microtrends to Macroharms: Rethinking Privacy Protection for Teens in Fashion E-commerce