Shein bans sex dolls, offers to share buyers’ details in French probe
Asian e-commerce giant Shein Tuesday pledged to "cooperate fully" with French judicial authorities after an uproar over it selling childlike sex dolls, and said it was prepared to disclose the names of people who bought them, if asked.
Issued on: 04/11/2025 - RFI
Asian e-commerce giant Shein Tuesday pledged to "cooperate fully" with French judicial authorities after an uproar over it selling childlike sex dolls, and said it was prepared to disclose the names of people who bought them, if asked.
Issued on: 04/11/2025 - RFI
People walk near a giant poster with a photo of Donald Tang, Executive Chairman of Shein Group, and Frederic Merlin, Chairman of the SGM Group - Department Stores Company and head of BHV, on the facade of the Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville, Le BHV Marais department store, ahead of the opening of Chinese fast-fashion retailer's fast fashion first permanent shop in Paris, France, 3 November 2025. REUTERS - Abdul Saboor
The controversy comes as the online fast-fashion seller is set to open its first bricks and mortar store in the world in the prestigious BHV department store in central Paris.
"We will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities," Shein's spokesman in France, Quentin Ruffat, told RMC radio, adding the company was prepared to share names of those who have bought such dolls.
"We will be completely transparent with the authorities. If they ask us to do so, we will comply," he said.
"We will put the necessary safeguards in place to ensure that this does not happen again," Ruffat said.
The Paris prosecutor's office said it had opened investigations against Shein, and also rival online retailers AliExpress, Temu and Wish, over the sale of sex dolls.
The probes were for distributing "messages that are violent, pornographic or improper, and accessible to minors", the office told French news agency AFP.
The investigations were launched after France's anti-fraud unit reported on Saturday that Shein was selling childlike sex dolls.
The controversy comes as the online fast-fashion seller is set to open its first bricks and mortar store in the world in the prestigious BHV department store in central Paris.
"We will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities," Shein's spokesman in France, Quentin Ruffat, told RMC radio, adding the company was prepared to share names of those who have bought such dolls.
"We will be completely transparent with the authorities. If they ask us to do so, we will comply," he said.
"We will put the necessary safeguards in place to ensure that this does not happen again," Ruffat said.
The Paris prosecutor's office said it had opened investigations against Shein, and also rival online retailers AliExpress, Temu and Wish, over the sale of sex dolls.
The probes were for distributing "messages that are violent, pornographic or improper, and accessible to minors", the office told French news agency AFP.
The investigations were launched after France's anti-fraud unit reported on Saturday that Shein was selling childlike sex dolls.
Shein has been reported to the French justice system for marketing sex dolls with a pedopornographic nature. © Captura de pantalla /screenshot
French media published a photo of one of the dolls sold on the platform, accompanied by an explicitly sexual caption.
The pictured doll measured around 80 centimetres (30 inches) in height and held a teddy bear.
Shein reported to French justice over sale of 'childlike' sex dolls
Ruffat described what had happened as "serious, unacceptable, intolerable."
He chalked up the sale of the dolls to "an internal malfunction, a malfunction in our processes and governance".
"We assessed the situation and responded quickly," he added.
On Monday, Shein announced it was imposing a "total ban on sex-doll-type products" and had deleted all listings and images linked to them.
Outrage ahead of store opening
The uproar comes as Shein prepares on Wednesday to open its first physical store in the world, inside the BHV Marais department store in central Paris.
The move has sparked outrage in France.
"Shein in France. Who can stop it?" left-leaning French daily Liberation said on its front page.
French police dismantle widespread paedophilia network hidden on Telegram
Frederic Merlin, the 34-year-old director of the company that owns BHV, admitted on Tuesday that he considered pulling the plug on the partnership with Shein after the uproar.
"It's despicable, it's indecent, it's abject," he told broadcaster RTL on Tuesday, referring to the sale of the dolls.
"I find it sickening to know that we can freely sell this kind of stuff on the internet," Merlin added.
But he said he had reconsidered, saying Shein's stance and readiness to cooperate with the French authorities "convinced me to continue".
Paedophile objects
On Monday, France's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Haïry, denounced the dolls which she called "paedophile objects that predators unfortunately sometimes use to practise before moving on to abusing children."
Ruffat said he and "the entire Shein brand" shared her concerns.
"We will be delighted to discuss these issues with her, these issues of paedophile crime, which are too serious to be ignored," he said.
Finance Minister Roland Lescure had warned he would move to ban the company from the French market if the items returned online.
Shein, a Singapore-based company which was originally founded in China, has faced criticism over working conditions at its factories and the environmental impact of its ultra-fast fashion business model.
(with AFP)
French media published a photo of one of the dolls sold on the platform, accompanied by an explicitly sexual caption.
The pictured doll measured around 80 centimetres (30 inches) in height and held a teddy bear.
Shein reported to French justice over sale of 'childlike' sex dolls
Ruffat described what had happened as "serious, unacceptable, intolerable."
He chalked up the sale of the dolls to "an internal malfunction, a malfunction in our processes and governance".
"We assessed the situation and responded quickly," he added.
On Monday, Shein announced it was imposing a "total ban on sex-doll-type products" and had deleted all listings and images linked to them.
Outrage ahead of store opening
The uproar comes as Shein prepares on Wednesday to open its first physical store in the world, inside the BHV Marais department store in central Paris.
The move has sparked outrage in France.
"Shein in France. Who can stop it?" left-leaning French daily Liberation said on its front page.
French police dismantle widespread paedophilia network hidden on Telegram
Frederic Merlin, the 34-year-old director of the company that owns BHV, admitted on Tuesday that he considered pulling the plug on the partnership with Shein after the uproar.
"It's despicable, it's indecent, it's abject," he told broadcaster RTL on Tuesday, referring to the sale of the dolls.
"I find it sickening to know that we can freely sell this kind of stuff on the internet," Merlin added.
But he said he had reconsidered, saying Shein's stance and readiness to cooperate with the French authorities "convinced me to continue".
Paedophile objects
On Monday, France's high commissioner for childhood, Sarah El Haïry, denounced the dolls which she called "paedophile objects that predators unfortunately sometimes use to practise before moving on to abusing children."
Ruffat said he and "the entire Shein brand" shared her concerns.
"We will be delighted to discuss these issues with her, these issues of paedophile crime, which are too serious to be ignored," he said.
Finance Minister Roland Lescure had warned he would move to ban the company from the French market if the items returned online.
Shein, a Singapore-based company which was originally founded in China, has faced criticism over working conditions at its factories and the environmental impact of its ultra-fast fashion business model.
(with AFP)
Copyright Nicolas Garriga/Copyright 2025 The AP. All rights reserved
By AP with Doloresz Katanich
Published on 03/11/2025 - EURONEWS
French authorities warned they may block access to Shein after it emerged that the online fast-fashion giant had been selling sex dolls with a childlike appearance.
France's consumer watchdog has reported fast-fashion firm Shein to the authorities for selling childlike sex dolls.
The news comes in the wake of Shein's announcement last month that it intends to open its first physical store in central Paris.
The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) has referred the case to public prosecutors, and Economy Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday he would seek to ban Shein from the French market if similar incidents were to occur again.
"This is provided for by law," he said. "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," Lescure told BFM TV.
The law authorises French authorities to order online platforms to remove clearly illegal content such as child pornography within 24 hours. If they fail to comply, authorities can require internet service providers and search engines to block access and delist the site.
By Monday, the dolls had been removed from Shein's platforms. The advertisement had also been removed from Chinese retail site AliExpress.
"It's not just Shein, there are many others. We have been alerted to other cases," confirmed France's high commissioner for children, Sarah El Haïry, on Franceinfo on Monday. El Haïry announced that the government had launched broader investigations into other platforms.
Shein did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Euronews Business.
Related
Under French law, the distribution of child-pornographic materials via electronic communication networks is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a €100,000 fine.
The watchdog also noted that Shein sells other pornographic products, including adult-like sex dolls, without effective age-filtering measures to prevent "minors or sensitive audiences from accessing such pornographic content".
Shein was founded in China in 2012, and the low-cost online retailer is now based in Singapore. Reaching customers mainly through its app, it has enjoyed a meteoric rise to become a global leader in fast fashion, shipping to 150 countries. The company has faced criticism over its labour practices and environmental record.
Lescure's comments come just days before Shein is due to open its first permanent physical store in Paris, located inside the BHV Marais department store in the heart of the French capital city. The opening has sparked controversy, with an online petition protesting Shein's arrival gathering more than 100,000 signatures.
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