France ramps up pressure on EU to investigate Shein over sex dolls, weapons

France on Thursday increased pressure on the European Union to launch a formal investigation into Chinese online fast-fashion retailer Shein over the sale of child-like sex dolls and banned weapons on its marketplace.

France has moved to ban Shein over the illicit products, and Shein suspended its marketplace in the country to review its third-party sellers, having already halted the sale of sex dolls worldwide.

"France alerts the European Commission and all member states to these serious breaches within its borders, and expects there are similar risks associated with this platform's activities in other European Union countries," France's finance minister Roland Lescure and digital minister Anne le Henanff wrote in a letter to EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.


France called on the European Commission to conduct investigations "without delay" to find out what led to the sale of illegal objects on the platform, according to the letter, which was sent late on Wednesday and shared with journalists Thursday.

A European Commission spokesperson confirmed the letter was received, and said the body will assess and decide on next steps.

Shein is classified as a "Very Large Online Platform" under the European Union's Digital Services Act, and the Commission has powers to investigate platforms for potential breaches of that law.