EU to investigate Shein over sale of childlike sex dolls and weapons

"The EU is to open a formal investigation into the Chinese retailer Shein over multiple suspected breaches of European laws including the sale of childlike sex dolls and weapons. The European Commission said on Tuesday it had launched the inquiry after demanding information from the fast-growing company last year. A senior EU official also pointed to reports of clothes, cosmetics, electronic products that were not compliant with EU law."

"The investigation will examine three areas of Shein's service that have given cause for concern. Apart from the sale of illegal products, it will also look at the addictive design of the service Shein is providing, an EU official said, including bonus points programmes, gamification and rewards that may lead to a risk of users' mental well being. The investigation will also look at Shein's recommender systems that may overwhelm users with suggestions of products to buy."

"We have a suspicion that the system of Shein is not built to avoid the sale of illegal products, the official said on Tuesday. Illegal products? There is still a lot there so something is probably not working. This is the second investigation launched into the addictive design of an online retail platform, after an inquiry launched into Temu in late 2024. The EU also said that Shein's recommender systems were opaque and might not meet the transparency requirements of the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA)."

The EU has opened a formal investigation into Shein over suspected breaches of European law, including the sale of childlike sex dolls and weapons. The European Commission launched the inquiry after demanding information from Shein last year. Reports also indicate clothes, cosmetics and electronic products that may not comply with EU rules. The probe will examine illegal products, the platform's addictive design—including bonus points programmes, gamification and rewards that could harm users' mental well-being—and opaque recommender systems that may overwhelm users. The EU suspects the system may not prevent illegal listings and found limited explanation of how the recommender works. The move follows a Temu inquiry and comes after France paused a push for a temporary suspension while pursuing a product-legality probe.

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