Lead Bipartisan Letter Expressing Concern, Seeking Information
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) led a letter cosigned by 32 members of Congress to Shein CEO Yangtian (Chris) Xu demanding answers regarding whether Shein’s site was used to sell childlike sex dolls in the U.S. to American customers, as first reported by The Hill. The bipartisan letter follows reports that Shein allowed third-party vendors to sell childlike sex dolls on its site in France.
“It is incredibly disappointing that a major global retailer allowed childlike sex dolls to be sold on its platform, products that are known to fuel pedophilia and endanger children,” said Buchanan. “I’m proud to lead this bipartisan inquiry because companies that don’t crack down on these products must be held fully accountable and prevented from ever enabling this kind of behavior again. Congress needs to pass my CREEPER Act to impose a national ban on lifelike sex dolls resembling children and stop these obscene products from encouraging predatory conduct.”
“We cannot end the sexual exploitation of children if these repulsive products are built, sold and shared,” said Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz. “So, I’m proud to work with Congressman Buchanan to shine a spotlight and demand accountability for Shein’s abhorrent business practices that allowed for the sale of childlike sex dolls on its website. We must ensure e-commerce platforms will not be complicit in the spread of these horrible items.”
Buchanan introduced the Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots (CREEPER) Act 2.0 (H.R. 1186) in February 2025 with Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) to make it a crime to import, transport, buy, sell, distribute or possess a childlike sex doll. Florida is one of five states to ban childlike sex dolls, including Tennessee, Kentucky, Utah and Hawaii.
Buchanan originally introduced the CREEPER Act 2.0 in 2020 after NBC 6 South Florida reported that a lifelike doll resembling a real girl in the Miami area was being sold online. The girl’s mother said a photo of her child was stolen and her likeness was turned into a sex doll that was legally for sale on Amazon and other websites.
“We are concerned at Shein’s lack of judgement and its inability to ensure third-party sellers comply with its Marketplace Policies intended to prevent child abuse and exploitation. We are also concerned as to the possibility that these childlike sex dolls were available for sale in the U.S., encouraging pedophilia and the sexual exploitation of children,” write the lawmakers in the letter.
Joining Buchanan and Wasserman Schultz in signing the letter are Reps. Brian Babin (R-Texas), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), John Carter (R-Texas), Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas), Scott DesJarlais (R-Tenn.), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Mike Kennedy (R-Utah), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.), Celeste Maloy (R-Utah), John McGuire (R-Va.), Max Miller (R-Ohio), Blake Moore (R-Utah), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), Burgess Owens (R-Utah), Keith Self (R-Texas), Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), Lloyd Smucker (R-Pa.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), David Valadao (R-Calif.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) and Del. James Moylan (R-Guam).
Read the full letter here or below:
Dear Mr. Yangtian,
On October 31, 2025, the French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) discovered that the e-commerce website Shein was selling sex dolls with a childlike appearance. One description reading “sex doll … male masturbation toy with erotic body …” was used to advertise a doll resembling a little girl clutching a teddy bear stuffed toy. According to the DGCCRF, “[The dolls’] description and categorization on the site leave little doubt as to the child-pornographic nature of the content.” The French government moved to temporarily suspend Shein’s website in the country following this discovery. Given these reports, we are deeply concerned that Shein’s e-commerce website may have been used to facilitate transactions of childlike sex dolls in the U.S. to American customers. We seek additional information regarding this matter.
According to news reports, a Shein representative confirmed that childlike sex dolls were sold by third-party sellers on Shein’s platform starting October 16, 2025. This stands in direct opposition to Shein’s stated Marketplace Policies for third-party sellers. The Shein 2024 Sustainability and Social Impact Report describes how all third-party sellers must comply with its Restricted Products Policy, which states that “The sale of illegal, unsafe, or restricted products is strictly prohibited on SHEIN Marketplace. This includes items that promote … child abuse and exploitation …” There is no question as to whether these dolls encourage child abuse and exploitation. Leading paraphilia researcher Dr. Peter Fagan, former Associate Professor of Medical Psychology and Director of the Sexual Behavior Consultation Unit at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, previously warned that contact with childlike sex dolls would likely have a “reinforcing effect” on pedophilic ideation and, “in many instances, cause it to be acted upon with greater urgency.” Upon discovery of the dolls and the involvement of French authorities, Shein imposed a total ban on the sale of sex dolls in its marketplace and suspended the “adult products” category in early November. This leaves a lengthy window where childlike sex dolls were available for sale on the Shein platform.
While we commend reports that Shein imposed a ban on the sale of all sex dolls and has taken steps to temporarily suspend all sales by third-party vendors on its marketplace in France, it is unacceptable that these products were ever allowed to be sold on Shein’s website. We are concerned at Shein’s lack of judgement and its inability to ensure third-party sellers comply with its Marketplace Policies intended to prevent child abuse and exploitation. We are also concerned as to the possibility that these childlike sex dolls were available for sale in the U.S., encouraging pedophilia and the sexual exploitation of children.
In response to these concerns, we would like to offer Shein an opportunity to respond to these serious breaches in internal controls and consumer trust and to provide information to help us better understand whether these products were ever available for sale in the U.S. We therefore request that you respond to the following questions by December 20, 2025:
- Were childlike sex dolls ever made available for sale in the U.S. on the Shein e-commerce marketplace through a third-party seller on or after October 16, 2025, or at any time prior?
- Were childlike sex dolls sold in the U.S. to American customers through the Shein marketplace, including in states and territories that have statutorily banned their sale, such as Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Utah and Hawaii? If so, on how many occasions?
- Did Shein notify U.S., state or territorial law enforcement or consumer protection agencies about the availability of childlike sex dolls on its platform, including in states and territories where their sale is statutorily banned? If so, when and through what channels?
- What steps will Shein take to recall any American customer orders of childlike sex dolls that may have already been fulfilled and to prevent the financial benefit of these sales?
- Shein’s Marketplace Policies explicitly prohibit the listing and sale of products that promote child abuse and exploitation. What concrete measures, such as monitoring or third-party seller audits, will Shein implement to prevent childlike sex dolls from being listed and sold on its global e-commerce platform in the future?
- Will Shein make a binding, company-wide commitment to permanently prohibit the sale of childlike sex dolls in its marketplace across all countries where it operates, including jurisdictions where such sales are not explicitly illegal, to eliminate any risk of facilitating pedophilic ideation or child exploitation?
Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue, and we look forward to your timely response outlining the steps Shein will take to rectify this situation and ensure that its platform is never used to endanger American children.
