France Probes Shein and Temu After Adult Toy Scandal
E-commerce platforms such as Shein, Temu, AliExpress and Wish are currently under investigation in the French Republic for the offence of permitting minors to view adult material on their websites, the Paris prosecutor stated on Tuesday.
The country's consumer watchdog had flagged the retailers to the legal authorities on Sunday after voicing concerns about the marketing of minor-looking sex dolls on the Shein website during the weekend.
The investigative authorities clarified that the online services are being looked into over harmful, adult or unacceptable messages that can be accessed by underage users.
One of the platforms asserted that it views the matter extremely earnestly. These companies have also been reached out to for a statement.
Broader Inquiries and Company Statements
Shein and AliExpress are additionally being examined over the spread of information related to children that are of a explicit character, the authorities said.
The cases have been referred to the French minor protection office, the prosecution service noted. This office is an branch of the national police that manages the welfare of young people.
The company commented that the items in question contravened its rules and were removed once it was informed of them.
"Sellers found to flout or seeking to circumvent these standards will be sanctioned in compliance with our rules," the company stated in a statement.
On this Monday, the retailer said it had banned the sale of any sex dolls on its platform internationally. The based in Singapore firm also said that it would ban indefinitely all seller accounts associated with the illegal distribution of the minor-looking products and enforce more rigorous measures on its platform.
Consumer Watchdog Observations and Wider Background
The French consumer watchdog, the DGCCRF, had remarked that the products' listing details and categorisation left "clear indication as to the illicit character" of the merchandise.
The examination of the retailer coincides with the company, which was founded in the People's Republic of China, gets ready for the opening on this Wednesday of its first fixed brick-and-mortar store in France.
Demonstrators have been spotted gathered in outside the Paris department store where Shein is scheduled to establish the outlet.
The firm intends to open stores in further French department stores in urban centers such as Dijon, Reims and Angers.
