China shuts factory accused of making ‘childlike’ sex dolls as global backlash mounts

1. Asia
2. China

Factory under scrutiny suspected to be making customisable dolls with ’childlike pornography characteristics’

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A sex toy manufacturer in southern China has been ordered to suspend operations after authorities began a formal investigation into allegations that it was producing dolls resembling children.

The dolls, which customers could personalise through online platforms, appeared on popular e-commerce websites and social media marketplaces before sparking alarm among regulators as well as child protection advocates in many countries.

According to The Paper, a state publication, Chinese officials are treating the matter with “great importance”.

The factory under scrutiny was one of several in Guangdong suspected to be making customisable dolls with “childlike pornography characteristics”, it reported.

In November, online fashion giant Shein moved to remove all sex dolls from its platform after it was criticised for allowing listings that resembled children. The company stated it had “strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent attempted circumvention of product listing restrictions by sellers”.

Other online retailers were also pulled into the controversy. French authorities started an investigation into AliExpress, and Sweden warned that it was prepared to legislate if companies did not take adequate action.

Swedish social services minister Camilla Waltersson Gronvall said she wanted online commerce companies to “do everything possible to end the marketing of sexual dolls that resemble children”.

“If we see that this evolution does not happen, or is not enough,” she told the AFP news agency, “the government will not hesitate to legislate different means.”

The focus on child-like sex dolls gained momentum after a Reuters investigation into Alibaba-owned AliExpress in November. The news agency identified four doll listings resembling minors on sale across Europe and the US, even after France prosecutors had announced investigations into AliExpress and Shein for disseminating images or representations of minors of a pornographic nature.

AliExpress initially classified the controversial items as rigid “anime dolls” without sexual functionality and removed them “as a precaution”.

But after further correspondence and evidence supplied by Reuters, the company escalated its response saying it had “decided to permanently close down this seller because of their dishonesty on this serious matter”.

AliExpress denied selling sex toys across any platform until it was confronted with screenshots confirming otherwise.

Lawyers interviewed by Reuters, after reviewing promotional images of the dolls, said they appeared to feature elements commonly associated with child sexualisation such as school uniforms, baby-like facial expressions and lingerie.

AliExpress later said that it was enhancing third-party monitoring and reaffirmed that its policies prohibited “any items depicting or suggestive of sex involving minors.”

The dispute arrives at a moment when regulators are tightening oversight of online marketplaces. As “Very Large Online Platforms” under Europe’s Digital Services Act, companies such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress face new legal duties to police illegal and harmful products.

European lawmakers recently voted for a resolution urging stronger enforcement mechanisms to protect consumers, explicitly naming child-like sex dolls as items of concern.

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