Shein backs French probe on childlike sex dolls, bans globally

Shein has pledged to cooperate with French prosecutors who have opened an investigation into the sale of childlike sex dolls on its platform. “We will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities,”.

Shein’s spokesperson in France, Quentin Ruffat, told RMC radio, adding that the company was prepared to share names of those who had bought such dolls. “We will be completely transparent with the authorities. If they ask us to do so, we will comply,” he said. The pledge comes after Shein announced on Monday that it would ban sex dolls from sale on its sites, following condemnation by French authorities.

The company said it was imposing a “total ban on sex doll-type products” and had deleted all listings and images linked to them. A spokesperson told Agence France-Presse that the ban applied globally. Shein’s executive chair, Donald Tang, commented on the controversy, saying: “These publications came from third-party vendors but I take personal responsibility.”

The move comes amid heightened regulatory pressure in France. The Paris Prosecutors’ Office said it had opened investigations against Shein and other online retailers over the sale of sex dolls. France’s anti-fraud unit reported on Saturday that Shein was selling “childlike” dolls of a likely pornographic nature.

The French daily Le Parisien published a photo of one of the dolls sold on the platform; the pictured doll measured around 80cm (30in) in height and held a teddy bear. Shortly after the fraud watchdog’s statement, Shein announced that the dolls had been withdrawn from its platform and it had launched an internal inquiry. Soon after, it announced the ban on sex dolls. Shein said it was setting up a dedicated team to ensure the “integrity” of content on its site.

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