Overview
- Paris prosecutors opened investigations into Shein, AliExpress, Temu and Wish for disseminating violent or pornographic content accessible to minors, with Shein and AliExpress also probed for images or representations of minors.
- France’s consumer watchdog DGCCRF first flagged the listings and referred the case to authorities after media showed a roughly 80‑centimetre doll holding a teddy bear with an explicitly sexual caption.
- Shein removed the products, imposed a global ban on all sex dolls, temporarily delisted its adult category, and said it permanently blocked seller accounts linked to illegal or non‑compliant items.
- The company said it will fully cooperate with judicial requests, including providing names of sellers and buyers, and it is tightening marketplace controls and tracing the source of the listings.
- Finance Minister Roland Lescure warned the platform could be blocked from the French market if prohibited items reappear, while protesters gathered outside BHV as the store launch proceeded under a heavy police presence.