“Sex dolls like babies have no place on the internet, guns have no place on the internet, dangerous toys have no place on the internet.” With this statement of strong condemnation, the spokesperson European Commission Thomas Regnier announced launch of a new formal investigation into Shein, ultra-fast fashion giant. This is actually the third request for information based Digital Services Act (DSA)European law on digital services, delivered to Chinese e-commerce platforms: The Commission suspects that the law could pose systemic risks for consumers across the European Union. The decision was taken after a case occurred in France, where authorities discovered that there were also sex dolls with childish features and prohibited weapons for sale on the platform, which led the French state to request such permission. suspension of the site for at least three months.
The scandal comes at an already difficult time for the Chinese giant, which has just exited controversy from consumer associations and activists for the opening of the first major physical store in France. Not only that: it is part of a context in which e-commerce giants are demonstrating increasingly serious weaknesses in their control systems and their ability to prevent abuse and inappropriate content. In fact, just a few days ago wine was in the spotlight because of complaints from users who reported it underwear and swimwear advertisements used as “bait” to redirect to a pornography profile Just Fans, Telegram and other adult platforms.
Illegal products sold on Shein
The Commission’s actions were carried out in close cooperation with the French authorities. The alarm sounded very loud in Paris after its discovery child pornography dolls and category A weapons put up for sale on the Shein website. The response from the French State was immediate: the Ministry of Economy called for the suspension of the web platform for at least three months. “We cannot let the protection of minors in cyberspace depend on the good intentions of technology companies“, underlines the French High Commissioner for Children Sarah El Hairy.hearing regarding the matter, originally scheduled for this morning in a Paris court, is postponed until December 5due to the late arrival of the Chinese giant’s defense report. The ministry clarified that any reactivation of the site is subject to acceptance of strict requirements regarding seller control and protection of minors. In an effort to stem the crisis, Shein reacted by completely stopping sales to third-party sellers in the country (its market). But for the government, this unilateral response is not enough: digital regulator Arcom will now monitor the site for further violations.
European reaction
Brussels reiterated the seriousness of the case: “Sex dolls that resemble children have no place in cyberspace, weapons have no place in cyberspace, dangerous toys have no place in cyberspace,” said Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier, underlining thatThe executive “takes the discovered violations very seriously.” in France. While noting that suspension of the platform was a “last resort” measure, Regnier explained that the Commission was verifying whether Shein represented systemic risk for European consumers.
The information request sent today actually the third the Commission sent to Shein in about a year and a half. European executives first want to understand what mechanisms the platforms are adopting to mitigate risks. Specifically, the Commission asked Shein to provideand detailed information and internal documents on how to ensure that minors are not exposed to inappropriate contentthrough age verification measures, and how to prevent the distribution of illegal products. Previous requests have touched crucial points, such asto fulfill obligations regarding possible reporting of illegal products (June 2024) O risks related to public health and transparency of recommendation systems (February 2025).
EU request: details about age and filters
The Commission officially asked Shein to provide “detailed information and internal documents” regarding two important aspects:
- Protection of minors: how the platform ensures that youth are not exposed to age-inappropriate content, specifically through age verification measures.
- Circulation of illegal products: how the system prevents the sale of prohibited goods and the spread of illegal content.
Shein’s answer
Shein’s response is expected in the next few days. The Commission will then evaluate whether the company has actually taken effective steps or whether more serious intervention is needed. Meanwhile in Europe, the case is a test to understand whether the DSA is truly able to deliver on its promises: to protect users and hold digital giants accountable for their responsibilities. The Digital Services Act, which takes effect in 2023, requires platforms to do so evaluate and mitigate systemic risks posed by their operations: from the distribution of illegal products to algorithmic manipulation, to the exposure of dangerous content to minors.
