A factory in China accused of manufacturing “childish” sex dolls has been investigated by local authorities and ordered to immediately halt production.
The customizable dolls were reportedly sold on major online shopping sites and social media platforms.
China’s state-run newspaper The Paper said local authorities attached “great importance” to the issue.
Last month, online retailer Shein – which started in China but is now headquartered in Singapore – banned the sale of all sex dolls globally after a public outcry over the sale of child-like dolls.
The company said at the time that it had “strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent attempts by sellers to circumvent product listing restrictions.”
Other e-commerce sites have also been criticized for selling sex dolls with child-like features.
AliExpress has been the subject of an investigation by French authorities on this matter.
Reuters reported in November that the China-based company had banned a sex doll seller, after he “repeatedly denied ever selling sex toys on any platform,” AliExpress said.
Sweden has also pledged to take action against online retailers selling these types of dolls.
“I now assume that e-commerce companies assume their responsibilities and do everything possible to put an end to the marketing of child-like sex dolls,” Social Affairs Minister Camilla Waltersson Gronvall told AFP.
“If we find that this development is not happening, or is not sufficient, the government will not hesitate to legislate through different means.”
Advances in artificial intelligence have allowed for easier customization of sex dolls ordered online, and some even have the ability to hold a conversation.
The newspaper reported that the factory now under investigation was one of several factories in the southern province of Guangdong that produced customizable dolls with “features of child pornography.”
