e-Enfance / 3018 warns of a major risk of acting on harmful intentions and reminds platforms of their responsibility!
While e-commerce platforms such as Shein are being targeted by proceedings for the sale of childlike sex dolls, e-Enfance / 3018 warns of a much more serious reality. These objects constitute a paedophile tool and making them available on public websites directly exposes minors.
An unambiguous finding: these purchases are part of a paedophile criminal career.
Véronique Béchu, director of the e-Enfance Observatory / 3018 and former police commander involved in combating sexual violence made to children, warns about this particularly worrying phenomenon: «In nearly half of all cases, individuals who consume child pornography end up targeting real children.»
The purchase of a sexualised doll bearing the likeness of a minor can never be a secure substitute or a protective boundary, On the contrary, a dynamic of escalation is taking hold., Users very often seek to satisfy urges that an inert object is no longer enough to satisfy.
A trend that requires increased monitoring and vigilance
Illegal items still slip through the net of online sales platforms too easily, despite a clear legal framework that has been strengthened with the Digital Services Act.
They are obliged to prevent risks, particularly those related to the sexualisation of minors, and must therefore verify, before going online, that no object is illegal or dangerous to children.
It is urgent to implement these obligations of moderation and control of marketplaces, and to effectively apply the penalties provided for by law.
Protecting children also requires collective vigilance.
The e-Enfance Association / 3018 reminds us that the fight against online child sexual abuse relies as much on the legal framework as on the ability of everyone—families, institutions, platforms, citizens—to report suspicious content or objects.
The 3018, national child protection hotline, regularly receives alerts related to child pornography content. Each report helps to speed up investigations, remove these items and identify potential perpetrators.
A major social issue
The distribution of child pornography dolls is not not merely a malfunction of e-commerce, It contributes to a culture of acting on impulses, which must be curbed urgently.
Read the article – Coline Mollard – 18 November 2025 – Ici (France Bleu)
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