French authorities are warning that online retailer Shein could be banned from the country after investigators discovered that the company had been selling sex dolls with a childlike appearance.
According to The Associated Press, France’s consumer watchdog — the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control — announced last week that it found the dolls listed on Shein’s website. The agency said their descriptions and categorization left “little doubt as to their child-pornographic nature.”
The case has been referred to public prosecutors. Economy Minister Roland Lescure said Monday that if a similar incident occurs again, France will seek to block Shein’s access to the national market.
“This is provided for by law,” Lescure told BFM TV. “In cases involving terrorism, drug trafficking, or child pornographic materials, the government has the right to request that access to the French market be prohibited.”
Under French law, online platforms must remove clearly illegal content — such as child pornography — within 24 hours of being notified. If they fail to comply, authorities can order internet providers and search engines to block access to the site entirely.
The watchdog said it issued a formal notice to Shein demanding “urgent corrective measures.”
In a statement, Shein said it had banned all sex-doll products and temporarily removed its adult products category for review. The company also launched an internal investigation to determine how the listings bypassed screening systems.
“The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein,” said Executive Chairman Donald Tang. “These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers, but I take this personally. Trust is our foundation, and we will not allow anything that violates it.”
Tang added that all related products have been removed and that the company is “tracing the source” to take “swift, decisive action” against those responsible.
Meanwhile, a French parliamentary fact-finding mission announced plans to summon Shein officials for questioning.
“No economic actor can consider themselves above the law,” said mission rapporteur Antoine Vermorel-Marques. “A retailer who sold such an item would have had their store immediately closed by a prefectoral order. Shein must provide an explanation.”
Distributing child-pornographic materials through electronic networks in France carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison and a €100,000 ($115,000) fine.
The watchdog also noted that Shein offers other pornographic items — including adultlike sex dolls — without sufficient age restrictions to prevent minors from viewing them.
Founded in China in 2012 and now headquartered in Singapore, Shein has become a global fast-fashion powerhouse, shipping to more than 150 countries. The company has long faced criticism over its labor practices and environmental impact.
The controversy comes days before Shein is set to open its first permanent store in Paris inside the BHV Marais department store. The planned opening has sparked widespread backlash, with an online petition opposing the move gathering more than 100,000 signatures.
Frederic Merlin, president of Société des Grands Magasins, which owns BHV, called the sale of the dolls “indecent” and “unacceptable,” pledging that “no product from Shein’s international marketplace” will be sold at the department store.
Child-protection group Mouv’Enfants also staged a protest at BHV. “As long as these dolls are available somewhere in the world, the company will remain an accomplice to a system that enables sex crimes against children,” said co-founder Arnaud Gallais.
