The European Commission has opened formal proceedings against the Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein under the Digital Services Act (DSA), targeting the suspected sale of illegal products — including items classified as child sexual abuse material— alongside concerns over the platform’s “addictive design” and opaque recommender systems.
The investigation marks the first full-scale formal probe into Shein, a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) designated under the DSA since 2024.
The Commission said in its announcement issued on February 17 that it will examine whether Shein has adequate systems to prevent the distribution of illegal goods across the EU, with specific reference to “content which could constitute child sexual abuse material, such as childlike sex dolls”.
The inquiry also covers risks to minors, the lack of transparency in product recommendations, and features that may encourage excessive user engagement, including rewards and gamified shopping elements.
“In the EU, illegal products are prohibited – whether they are on a store shelf or on an online marketplace. The Digital Services Act keeps shoppers safe, protects their wellbeing and empowers them with information about the algorithms they are interacting with. We will assess whether Shein is respecting these rules and their responsibility”, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy said.
Today, we have launched an investigation into Shein under the #DSA.
The investigation concerns the platform’s potentially addictive design features, the lack of transparency around its recommender systems, and the sale of illegal products, including child sexual abuse material. pic.twitter.com/Izri5swOwz
— Henna Virkkunen (@HennaVirkkunen) February 17, 2026
The move follows months of mounting pressure, sparked by French authorities in November 2025.
France’s Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) uncovered child-like sex dolls and illegal weapons, including firearms, knives, and machetes listed for sale on Shein’s platform.
This prompted the Paris Prosecutor’s Office to launch a criminal investigation into Shein, alongside similar scrutiny of rivals AliExpress, Temu, and Wish.
French ministers threatened to suspend Shein’s operations in the country, a move temporarily blocked by a court, and urged the Commission to act EU-wide.
The scandal drew widespread condemnation, with MEPs and consumer groups highlighting systemic failures by non-EU platforms to comply with DSA obligations on risk mitigation and illegal content removal.
In response to the initial outcry, Shein banned all sex dolls globally in November 2025 and later announced plans to introduce age-assurance tools in the EU to restrict access to inappropriate products.
Despite these steps, the Commission deemed the measures insufficient, proceeding to formal proceedings after earlier requests for information went unaddressed to its satisfaction.
The DSA empowers the Commission to impose fines of up to six per cent of global annual turnover for serious breaches, with potential service restrictions or outright bans in extreme cases.
Shein, like Temu, has faced repeated criticism over product safety, labour practices, and the flood of ultra-cheap imports.
Critics argue the case exposes vulnerabilities in the EU’s oversight of third-country e-commerce giants, where rapid growth often outpaces compliance.
In 2024, Günther Oettinger, who formerly served as the European Commission’s digital economy tsar was hired as a consultant for the international fashion retailer.
His role has been described as designed to “help SHEIN navigate the European political climate,” according to a spokesperson for the online clothing giant.
The move was seen as yet another “shocking revolving door case” where an former EU official became a high-paid lobbyist.
For years, Shein has been accused of highly problematic practices, including compelling workers into 75-hour weeks, using cotton produced by forced-labour Uyghur workers and producing clothes that Canadian officials banned after finding elevated levels of lead in the fabric.
