• A Paris court mandated Shein to implement age verification for adult products sold on its platform.
• The French government attempted to suspend Shein's site for three months, but the court deemed this "disproportionate."
• Shein removed illicit products but will face fines for any breaches of the new age verification requirement.
• The French government plans to appeal the court's ruling insisting on stricter oversight of Shein's offerings.
• Other European e-commerce platforms face similar scrutiny amid efforts to regulate online sales more effectively.

A Paris court has ruled that Shein must implement age verification measures for any adult products sold on its platform while rejecting the French government's request to suspend the site as "disproportionate." This ruling comes after significant public outcry over the sale of childlike sex dolls and other illicit goods, which France's consumer watchdog found on Shein's marketplace, according to Reuters, Le Monde, and South China Morning Post.

The court acknowledged the "serious harm to public order" but concluded that the offending items had been removed and their sale was sporadic. It emphasized that only certain products on Shein's marketplace were illegal and that the platform offered hundreds of thousands of legal items, according to BBC and Channel News Asia.

Despite the court's ruling, the French government intends to appeal, citing an ongoing concern about the "systematic risk" associated with Shein's operational model. The appeal suggests that the government seeks more stringent controls over products sold by third-party vendors on the platform, according to Reuters and Le Monde.

Shein's spokesperson expressed the company's commitment to enhancing safety measures and compliance in cooperation with French authorities, stating their priority remains the protection of consumers. The company has already suspended the sale of all sex dolls globally as a response to the controversy, according to South China Morning Post and Channel News Asia.