Have you scrolled through social media late at night, clicked on a brightly coloured button and bought something you regretted? Are you hiding parcels from your spouse? Have you heard of oniomania, or shopping addiction?

Retail is changing. Social-media platforms such as TikTok are launching e-commerce features that blur the lines between shopping and entertainment.

A whole industry is emerging around livestream shopping, where jovial hosts turn buying things into a game, by means of quizzes and interactive demonstrations.

Regulators and researchers are worried that such innovations are making it harder to resist the urge to spend. A few years ago the European Union introduced rules to outlaw any platform that “manipulates” users through its design and operation.

TikTok is a trap for d

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