Parents wake up to $3,000 Amazon bill after leaving their 5-year-old with an unlocked phone

Some kids sneak snacks or stay up past bedtime, but this five-year-old took things to a whole new level by going on a $3,000 Amazon shopping spree while his parents were fast asleep. By the time they woke up, the damage was done, and their son was sitting on the couch like nothing had happened.

In a now-viral TikTok posted by his mom,@kirstmccall, the little boy looks completely unbothered as his stunned father confronts him. “You bought seven cars on Amazon. You spent over $3,000 today. How did you do that? You are in so much trouble,” the dad says, clearly trying to wrap his head around what just happened. The video then cuts to a screen recording the long list of items the child ordered, everything from toys to remote-controlled cars, basically what appears to be every kid’s dream Christmas wishlist. In the same video, another clip shows the boy happily scrolling and placing orders with the overlay text,  “Living life, happily scrolling and checking out while the rest of the house is sleeping.”

As it turns out, things could have been even worse. According to his mom, the little shopper had another $700 worth of items sitting in the cart, just seconds away from being ordered when they finally caught him. “I’m currently on the phone crying to Amazon – my husband is on the phone crying with our bank…” she wrote in the caption. It all started when the 5-year-old stumbled upon an old phone lying around the house and did what toddlers do best: get into mischief. To him, Amazon wasn’t a shopping app; it was a magic wishbox, and he had no idea that every toy he tapped “Buy Now” on came with a real-world price tag. Naturally, the internet had thoughts and plenty of laughs.

Some people found the situation hilariously relatable. @kels wrote, “I’m just jealous you had enough in your account for all that. My card would’ve been declined so quickly.” Others were impressed with the boy’s dedication, with @hgl joking, “It’s impressive. He’s like Oprah… you get a car, you get a car, you get a car!” Then there were people like @leosunsadmoon, who didn’t hesitate to weigh in, stating, “I don't know why people in the comments think these toys shouldn’t be returned… absolutely not, they’re going right back to the warehouse.”

The moment even sparked some parenting debates. While some praised the dad’s calm response, @guineverered commented, “I think dad handled it well. If people think that is yelling, not sure what they’d call what my dad would have done lol.” Of course, no viral parenting moment is complete without a little sass. @jodz817 chimed in with, “God forbid a girl have a little retail therapy,” while @kimberlycasstevens summed it up all, saying, “He took Christmas in July to a whole new level.” With the family now trying to sort things out and hoping for refunds, they’re taking it all in stride, with a mix of stress, laughter, and a lesson learned. 

For more videos like this, you can follow @kirstmccall on TikTok.