The French government has threatened to ban Shein after discovering that some of its dolls resemble children. “Let me be clear: if this behavior continues, we will have the right to request that Shein be banned from the French market. This is stipulated in the law,” stated French Economy Minister Roland Lescure during interviews with BFM television and RMC radio.
Lescure explained that such measures can be taken in cases involving terrorism, drug trafficking, and child pornography if the platform does not remove the offending products within 24 hours or if violations recur. He assured that a judicial investigation is underway to determine how these sex dolls were being sold on the site.
The French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs, and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) issued a warning after confirming that “the Shein e-commerce site was selling child-like sex dolls” and noted that the product descriptions made it difficult to doubt the nature of the child pornography involved. Subsequently, reports indicated that similar products were also found on AliExpress during inspections.
The DGCCRF has also alerted about Temu and Wish for distributing pornographic content without filtering it for minors. In addition to Shein, these platforms have been referred to the Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office and ordered to comply with French law.
