Paris has urged Brussels to clamp down on the Chinese-founded platform, with the bloc's digital chief Henna Virkkunen to hold talks later in the day with French minister Anne Le Henanff.

"The sale of childlike sex dolls is extremely concerning," EU digital spokesperson Thomas Regnier told reporters. "We do not want to see these products being offered to European citizens."

The European Commission is already investigating Shein for multiple suspected breaches of EU rules, including related to the sale of illegal products.

Regnier said there was currently no plan to block access to Shein, and that under the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA) such a step would be a "very last resort" to be taken by the member state hosting the platform.

In this case, the move would have to come from Ireland where Shein has its EU headquarters.

"We're not there yet because the DSA is about proportionality, taking proportionate measures," Regnier stressed.

He added however that the commission was consulting with France to determine if the risks identified were of a "systemic" nature.

"In which case the commission will not hesitate to take action," Regnier said.

The EU added Shein in April 2024 to its list of Very Large Online Platforms subject to tougher obligations under the DSA, a powerful law that forces tech giants to do more to protect European consumers online.

It has been looking since February this year into risks linked to illegal products on the site, a possible first step towards a formal investigation under the DSA.

In parallel, Brussels has launched a probe along with consumer authorities in several EU countries into practices by Shein that infringe the bloc's consumer laws, from fake discount deals to misleading product information.

Shein risks fines unless it tackles the concerns raised, which it has said it is working to do.