Teen girls worst offenders of new ‘racking’ shoplifting trend on social media

A new trend is luring teenage girls into stealing hundreds of dollars worth of clothes, jewellery and makeup then bragging about their ‘hauls’ on social media.

Teens are stealing hundreds of dollars worth of clothes, jewellery and makeup then bragging about their “hauls” on social media in a new trend turning young girls into shoplifters.

Known as “racking”, hundreds of videos of the trend have flooded TikTok in recent weeks, with teen girls sharing the total of the goods they’ve stolen during a visit to their local shops.

Laid out neatly on their beds, teens are adding up the value of their stolen items, and boasting about just how much they’ve managed to steal.

One teen posted about her $464 haul of face masks, hair care, socks and self tanner, with the caption reading “who wants tips”.

“Your (sic) so lucky,” one commenter replied to the video.

“It’s so easy to steal ngl (not gonna lie) … the workers don’t give shits,” another wrote.

Another asked “how do you hide it from your parents”.

Jewellery and skincare are popular ‘racking items’. Picture: Supplied

Perpetrators brazenly boast about their ‘haul’. Picture: Supplied

Several girls replied with a variety of ways they were getting away with their thefts.

“I just put it in my vanity and if I have new clothes or jewellery I just say it’s from my friend,” one poster wrote.

“School locker is your friend babe,” another wrote.

Stores the teens have bragged about looting include Cotton On, Mecca, Lovisa, Woolworths and Priceline.

According to racking videos on TikTok, it’s mainly teen girls stealing from stores and businesses, making off with items their parents won’t buy for them.

“Mum wouldn’t buy me anything … so I racked it all,” one girl wrote online.

Some have made off with $200 Dior perfumes, Nike clothing and hundreds of dollars worth of high-end makeup.

The videos have been glamorised with girly filters and pink emojis, with girls encouraging each other to steal more, alongside comments like “slay queen” and “yes girl!”.

Accounts with tips and tutorials are also popping up online, teaching kids how to get away with shoplifting.

Comments posted to the racking.hauls account on TikTok. Picture: Supplied

The trend is just the latest way teens are using social media to “post and boast” about their crimes.

In March, the NSW government introduced new laws targeting youth who post car thefts and home invasions to social media, after an explosion in the “creepin while you’re sleepin” trend.

Under the legislation, child offenders could face up to two more years in jail for advertising criminal behaviour online, in what is now known as “performance crime”.

When asked whether the legislation would be expanded to include shoplifting or racking, a spokesperson said there were “existing mechanisms in place to address other types of offences”.

However, it’s understood the post and boat legislation will undergo a statutory review in mid-2026, where changes may be considered.

Police Minister Yasmin Catley said anyone caught ‘racking’ would be charged. Picture: Damian Shaw

Police Minister Yasmin Catley said NSW Police was taking the racking trend seriously, and wouldn’t hesitate to charge kids stealing from their local shops.

“Theft is a criminal offence and one that police won’t hesitate to lay charges over,” she said. “It is concerning that people are posting these crimes to social media.”

According to the latest statistics from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, 1956 juveniles have been charged with stealing from a retail store in the 12 months to June.

The number was up from 1070 over the same period two years prior, according to the statistics. While the majority of those charged were boys, 870 girls were charged in the 12 months to June.

Woolworths said it used both covert and overt strategies to detect shoplifters, adding: “All our team have a number of tools available to keep them safe in the event of conflict or anti-social behaviour.”

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Originally published as Teen girls worst offenders of new ‘racking’ shoplifting trend on social media