Online retail giant Shein says it has banned the sale of all sex dolls on its platform around the world, after being accused of displaying products with a childlike appearance on its website.
The French consumer watchdog first raised concerns at the weekend over the description and categorisation of the dolls, saying it left little doubt as to the child pornography nature of the content.
The company said on Monday that it has permanently banned all seller accounts linked to illegal or non-compliant sex-doll products and will tighten controls across its global platform.
Shein also says it has temporarily removed its adult products category as a precaution.
Every listing and image related to the sex dolls has been removed from Shein's platform, the firm said.
The retailer added that it will conduct a thorough review, with plans to set stricter controls on sellers.
The company has also strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent attempted circumvention of product listing restrictions by sellers, said Shein.
The firm's executive chairman Donald Tang said: The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein. These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers - but I take this personally.
France's Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control initially raised concerns about the dolls on Saturday.
The criticism escalated with the threat from France's finance minister to ban Shein from the country if such products continued to be sold, coinciding with the opening of their Paris store.
People protested outside the BHV department store in Paris, where the Shein outlet is set to open this week.
The brand has faced scrutiny over environmental impacts and working conditions in the fast-fashion industry.
