You can’t shop at Target unless you’re 18 years old

Question

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLLxFC4T/

Answer 1

It appears that this claim is partially true. I found an article showing a user on X, photographed a Target in the Bronx, requiring children under the age of 18, to have adult supervision. Another article, posted by the U.S. Sun, states the same information, only showing this at one Target location, in the Bronx, New York.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/target-slammed-treating-customers-criminals-220028545.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL9z1Hny2v9bu-yG5-ruT1g9jaoZaHvYfXKamEiKbFTko1wvMjf7NNVkLrVPG3bbqZuG3Hn6x0klTVawRL77-wcLpfD7Q_ofeNbABT9SdnSOu5nqRyTyA2iZhS07nB3aG85sOdIAw20JmzOSXGbDyWl7_TPlzxCtW3DU2UVI9s0w

https://www.the-sun.com/news/9834416/target-boycott-over-new-entry-rule-anti-theft/

Comments

I think this fact check does a good job of looking at different sources. I do think this needs more evidence to support it. I think providing direct quotes as evidence would help support why this claim is partially true.

Answer 2

From the information I have found it seems that this was true in December of 2023 right before the holiday season. There was at least one Target store in the Bronx that had a sign claiming that this was their policy. This was done as a way to prevent theft. This is not a company wide policy however. I have not found any information about any other locations putting this policy into place. I also couldn't find further detail on if this one location still had that policy in place or not.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/target-slammed-treating-customers-criminals-220028545.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL9z1Hny2v9bu-yG5-ruT1g9jaoZaHvYfXKamEiKbFTko1wvMjf7NNVkLrVPG3bbqZuG3Hn6x0klTVawRL77-wcLpfD7Q_ofeNbABT9SdnSOu5nqRyTyA2iZhS07nB3aG85sOdIAw20JmzOSXGbDyWl7_TPlzxCtW3DU2UVI9s0w

https://www.shefinds.com/collections/target-boycott-age-restrictions/#slide-1

Comments

Great job on this fact check! I like that you included multiple sources to back up your claim and a specific example of a sign stating the policy. I also like that you were open about not being able to find additional information about this being a policy anywhere else

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I think this is a really strong fact check. You provides lots of different sources that reveal the claim as misleading while also addressing the facts of where this claim first started which further proves that this claim is misleading. The fact that you tried to discover if that specific target still had its policy in place is also a great attempt at researching this claim even if you didn't find it. Great job overall! Here's a few more sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIlEfIVfozQ
https://99wfmk.com/michigan-target-18-to-shop-alone/

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Great job with this fact check. You went straight to the source and also included credible sources to back up your fact check. You also provided a diverse amount of sources.

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I think this is a good fact cheeck! You have great sources to prove this and continue to talk about why and when this is a true statement. However I would probably want to check which region this is in or perhaps state because It could be in certain states that they enforce this.

Answer 3

This claim is partially true, but still misleading. Not all Target stores have enforced the rule that you have to be accompanied by an adult in the store if you are under 18 years old. This originated from an X user in the Bronx borough of New York City showing a sign on the door that reads, "All guests under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult at this Target store." There has been speculation that things comes after Target's high crimes of theft in various locations and because of this, self-checkouts have been closed. In June of 2023, a mother in Bakersfield, California told CNBC that her 19-year-old son had been stopped by security at the door and asked his age. The security informed him that anyone 18 and under can't enter Target without an adult after 4 p.m." However, Target representatives have not confirmed or spoken about this claim and why they made this decision in some locations. 

Comments

This is a great factcheck! This claim didn't have a black or white, yes or no answer and you did a great job of thoroughly breaking down the different aspects of this claim to show which parts are true and which aren't. I also like how you used three different sources and cited them within the text.

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I wish you would've included more sources in your fact check, but other than that you did a good job. The claim was a little difficult since it was and wasn't true at different locations.

Answer 4

This claim is true, but misleading. Do to an uprise in theft rates, Target has implemented an age restriction. They also created anti-theft measures such as locking cabinets, which I think should be mentioned.

https://www.the-sun.com/news/9829361/target-slammed-customers-anti-theft-measures-age-limit/

Comments

This is a good fact check. However I think more facts and statements would be helpful especially from an outside source or at least having more than one outside source or link that shows and backs up this claim.

Answer 5

It appears that this claim is partially true but slightly misleading. 

The information provided indicates that there have been specific instances where Target stores have implemented age restrictions for shoppers under 18 years old. Most of these age restrictions occurred to combat issues like stealing. These restrictions require minors to be accompanied by an adult when shopping in certain Target locations, particularly in New York and California. Regardless, it's not every Target that requires you to be 18+ to shop. Even in stores that do use the 18+ rule, you're allowed to shop -- with a guardian. 

https://www.the-sun.com/news/9834416/target-boycott-over-new-entry-rule-anti-theft/

https://www.dailydot.com/news/target-checking-receipts/

https://hudsonvalleycountry.com/new-york-target-store-age-restrictions-for-shoppers/

https://99wfmk.com/michigan-target-18-to-shop-alone/

(Weird site but it reports about state news on the radio)

However, it is important to note that these restrictions may not apply universally to all Target stores and may vary based on location and specific store policies. On the Terms & Conditions section of their website it says "If you are under 18, you may use this Site only with the involvement of a parent or guardian."

https://www.target.com/c/terms-conditions/-/N-4sr7l

Comments

This fact-check provides a variety of sources as well as direct quotes which helps to prove it. I think it is important to note Target's terms and conditions because that is the best source to look into.

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This is a very well-done fact check you listed a variety of sources and even explained why you used one that you deemed to be slightly off-topic. I like how you listed the original institute's rules and regulations as a source, as those are probably the best results when it comes to finding out the true answer.

Answer 6

This claim states that individuals under the age of 18 years old must be supervised while shopping at Target. This was brought to attention to limit theft. “Target has done its homework and determined that about 25% of shoplifters are underage. So, the solution is to kick out unsupervised legions of teenagers who wander aisles and sip Starbucks, at least, for 2 of the mega-retailer locations.” The apparent locations in Bronx, New York and Bakersfield, California. After doing some research, this claim isn’t on any major headlines or any notable news sources. Often it was covered by local news sources. This claim seems to be partially true because there is evidence of Bakersfield Target requiring supervision passed 4 p.m. for minors. A bakersfield local made a statement that her son “‘was stopped at the front by security. They asked him how old he was and he asked them why and the security told him because anyone 18 and under can't enter Target without an adult after 4 p.m.,’”. I think this claim was exaggerated and the claims made in the TikTok videos only display more security and closed self-checkout lines which implies their implementation of restricting theft in stores. The user @Onabudgetoutlet has no credibility to them because they mostly post beauty videos so, they do not specialize in know Target or inside restrcictions.Therefore I think this is misleading because there have been some restrictions to one Target location but, it is credible to say that Target requires you to be 18 years old to shop. 

https://99wfmk.com/michigan-target-18-to-shop-alone/ 

https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/local/targets-no-teens-after-4-pm-policy-sparks-controversy-among-bakersfield-parents 

Answer 7

The claim that you cannot shop at target if you are under the age of 18 is kind of true, but this claim and the TikTok added is very misleading, and not a credible source because it is a TikTok.

An article by Jena Warburton on "The Street" confirms this claim, but it is only at certain stores and not all of them. Stores have had inventory shrink, causing them to limit items. Moreover, a Target location in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington is now implementing that anybody under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult while shopping, meaning they can still shop their but not without supervision. They did this because there is an uptick in juvenile crime. These Target stores are also under lock and key. So this confirms that the claim you can't shop at Target if you are under 18, is half true, but there is more to it. (https://www.thestreet.com/retail/target-store-cracks-down-with-over-18-policy)

Many other sources such as Retail Dive, and The US Sun say many of the same things of the Street. (https://www.the-sun.com/money/12000241/target-locations-enforcing-age-policy-shopping/) (https://www.retaildive.com/news/shoppers-under-18-at-this-target-store-must-be-accompanied-by-an-adult/713782/)

Answer 8

I've found the statement that you can't shop at Target unless you're 18 is exaggerated and misleading. During my research, I have found that while there have been instances at different Targets, there hasn't been a nationwide Target policy put in place. There are some blog-style sources, such as The Break Room, where people have said their local Target had to put a policy in place to stop minors from shopping there. After reading through Target's terms and conditions, I didn't find anything that explicitly states that you must be 18 to shop at Target. As I began to delve deeper into my research because I was curious as to why some Targets would enforce a rule like this, and interestingly enough, one article pointed out that it was a product of the pandemic. The Street stated that the pandemic had shifted the way people look at shopping, specifically grocery shopping, so places like Target had to shrink inventory, and to prevent selling out too soon, some Targets had to enforce an age limit. While that was the case for some, others were simply running into consistent trouble with the minors in their area and had to find a way to stop it. Basically, some Targets have enforced this law, but it isn't a nationwide rule for Target.  

Sources: 

https://www.thebreakroom.org/threads/is-your-target-store-cracking-down-on-minors.31963/

https://www.thestreet.com/retail/target-store-cracks-down-with-over-18-policy

https://www.target.com/c/terms-conditions/-/N-4sr7l

Answer 9

While this doesn't seem to be universal, Target has reportedly implemented this policy at a several locations where thievery, fighting, and general tomfoolery have been a notable reoccurrence. This isn't too far off for them, drawing attention to their dystopian use of facial recognition software in the past.

https://www.retaildive.com/news/shoppers-under-18-at-this-target-store-must-be-accompanied-by-an-adult/713782/

https://wpdh.com/target-age-restriction-policy-ny/

https://nypost.com/2025/03/17/us-news/nyc-target-bars-kids-under-age-18-without-adult-after-rash-of-delinquent-fights/