China-based fashion and e-commerce giant Shein has announced a global ban on all sex doll products after French authorities accused it of selling child-like dolls and warned the company could face a market ban in France.
According to AFP, France’s anti-fraud agency DGCCRF said the listings on Shein’s website contained dolls that looked “childlike” and were likely pornographic in nature. Paris prosecutors have confirmed that an investigation has been launched against Shein, AliExpress, Temu and Wish for distributing “messages that are violent, pornographic or inappropriate” and accessible to minors.
As reported by CNN, Shein immediately removed the products and launched an internal review after receiving the warning from France. The company later announced a “complete ban on all sex doll products”.
It also temporarily removed the adult product category for further review. A company spokesman told AFP the ban was in effect worldwide.
“These publications come from third-party suppliers, but I take personal responsibility,” said Shein Executive Chairman Donald Tang, adding that “the fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein.”
French Finance Minister Roland Lescure told BFMTV that the government could legally block Shea’s access to the French market if similar violations are repeated.
“These terrible items are illegal,” he said, stressing that France would take strong action against the retailer.
According to the Associated Press (AP), under French law, spreading child pornography online can lead to up to seven years in prison and a 100,000 euro fine.
The controversy comes just days before the opening of Shein’s first brick-and-mortar store in Paris’s BHV Marais department store, a move that is already facing opposition from activists and lawmakers. Some brands withdrew their products from BHV after the scandal.
Shein has already been fined three times in France in 2025 for breaching the law on cookies, false advertising, misleading information and undeclared plastic microfibers.
