On protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: the case of child-like sex dolls, weapons and other illegal products and material

B100507/2025

European Parliament resolution on protecting EU consumers against the practices of certain e-commerce platforms: the case of child-like sex dolls, weapons and other illegal products and material

(2025/2971(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Articles 3, 114 and 207 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU),–

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 on a Single Market For Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC (Digital Services Act), in particular Articles 16, 31, 32, 34, 35 and 52 thereof,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2023/988 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 10 May 2023 on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Directive (EU) 2020/1828 of the European Parliament and the Council, and repealing Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and Council Directive 87/357/EEC,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on market surveillance and compliance of products and amending Directive 2004/42/EC and Regulations (EC) No 765/2008 and (EU) No 305/2011,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/2394 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 December 2017 on cooperation between national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws and repealing Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004,

– having regard to its resolution of 9 July 2025 on product safety and regulatory compliance in e-commerce and non-EU imports,

– having regard to the Commission communication of 5 February 2025 entitled ‘A comprehensive EU toolbox for safe and sustainable e-commerce’ (COM(2025)0037),

– having regard to the mandate of Europol, in particular the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), to identify, analyse and combat serious online criminal activities, including networks operating on the darknet that facilitate or distribute materials linked to the sexual exploitation of minors,

– having regard to the role of the Commission in conducting the European Union’s external relations and engaging in bilateral dialogue with third countries, including China, on matters of customs cooperation, and in combating the influx of illegal products into the internal market,

– having regard to the proposal for a regulation on the safety of toys and repealing Directive 2009/48/EC (COM(2023)0462),

– having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas e-commerce has transformed how consumers purchase goods and engage with businesses worldwide, unlocking unprecedented opportunities; whereas e-commerce platforms are subject to specific obligations designed to address concerns related to consumer rights, health, safety and security; whereas the French market surveillance authorities led an investigation proving that the platform Shein placed child-like sex dolls, weapons and other illegal products and material on the EU market;

B. whereas the recommendation through algorithmic systems or third-party seller listings, of products or representations that endanger the health and safety of minors, including, but not limited to, items that may be used in the context of grooming or sexual exploitation of children, is illegal and those products must be removed from the platform immediately; whereas the recommendation or listing of such items falls within the scope of the systemic risks that very large online platforms (VLOPs) are required to assess under Article 34 of the Digital Services Act (DSA), and, should this constitute a systemic problem, the platform concerned must adopt appropriate and effective mitigating measures;

C. whereas the online retail platform Shein was designated by Commission Decision of 26 April 2024 as a VLOP under Article 33 DSA, thereby being subject to the strictest obligations regarding the assessment and mitigation of the aforementioned systemic risks;

D. whereas Article 34 DSA requires providers of VLOPs and very large online search engines to identify, analyse and mitigate systemic risks, including a first category of risks associated with the dissemination of illegal content such as child sexual abuse material and with the sale or promotion of goods that negatively affect the health or safety of minors;

E. whereas Article 52 DSA requires Member States to lay down rules on penalties applicable to infringements of this regulation by providers of intermediary services and to take all necessary measures to ensure that they are implemented, and that such penalties must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive, including fines of up to 6 % of the total worldwide annual turnover of the provider in the preceding financial year for serious infringements;

F. whereas over 75 % of EU consumers shop online; whereas, the surge in e-commerce imports, mainly from China, along with non-compliant sellers evading regulatory costs and undermining law-abiding competitors, has intensified unfair competition; whereas tests have revealed very high non-compliance rates on these VLOPs, such that nearly 70 % of the products tested do not comply with European standards, with serious risks identified in USB chargers (overheating) and toys (choking hazards and toxic substances); whereas these platforms list dangerous or illegal products that are explicitly banned in the EU, such as child pornography, replica weapons, prohibited lasers and counterfeit goods;

G. whereas Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in her 2024-2029 political guidelines, referred to the need to tackle the challenges arising from online platforms to ensure that consumers and businesses alike benefit from a level playing field based on effective customs, tax and safety checks;

H. whereas the DSA, the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), the Market Surveillance Regulation and the Consumer Protection Cooperation Regulation contribute to a safer and fairer e-commerce environment, if properly implemented and enforced; whereas, despite these laws, consumer and other organisations, as well as national authorities, have raised concerns over the large number of unsafe and non-compliant products detected in the EU that fail to comply with EU legislation on product safety; whereas enforcement of current rules and better coordination between Member States are essential in addressing these risks more effectively;

I. whereas consumer protection is essential to the functioning of the EU’s internal market; whereas the fairness, transparency and compliance of e-commerce platforms are crucial;

J. whereas digital tools, such as artificial intelligence, can help track non-compliant products;

K. whereas the Commission communication of 5 February 2025 on a comprehensive EU toolbox for safe and sustainable e-commerce highlights that the volume of e-commerce goods bought by EU consumers on non-EU online platforms is expected to continue growing rapidly;

L. whereas VLOPs, through the systematic use of infinite scroll, personalised algorithmic recommendations, push notifications, gamification features (points, streaks, countdowns, flash sales) and other addictive design mechanisms, deliberately trigger and exploit repeated dopamine release in users’ brains, thereby creating behavioural loops that maximise time spent on the platform and encourage compulsive purchasing behaviour;

M. whereas these ‘dopamine-driven dark patterns’ are particularly harmful to minors and adolescents, whose prefrontal cortex is still developing and who are therefore significantly more vulnerable to addictive digital environments, leading to increased risks of anxiety, sleep disturbance, body-image disorders and excessive consumption of low-quality or dangerous goods;

N. whereas the deliberate exploitation of neurobiological reward systems for commercial gain constitutes a systemic risk within the meaning of Article 34(1)DSA in particular as regards the negative effects on mental health and the intensification of over-consumption and exposure to illegal or harmful products;

O. whereas the current risk assessments and mitigation measures submitted by certain VLOPs, including ultra-fast-fashion platforms, have failed to prevent the placing on the market of clearly illegal products, thereby justifying the imposition of the highest penalties provided for in the DSA;

P. whereas in May 2025, following an investigation coordinated with France’s Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes (DGCCRF), the Commission issued a formal notice to the VLOP Shein concerning misleading practices such as false promotions, pressure to purchase, lack of clear information on the real origin of products, refunds or consumer rights, whereas, in July 2025, the DGCCRF fined this platform EUR 40 million for misleading commercial practices;

Q. whereas sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children, including child pornography, constitute serious violations of fundamental rights, in particular of the rights of children to the protection and care necessary for their well-being, as provided for by the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union; whereas products and services intended to facilitate or normalise the sexual exploitation of minors should be considered incompatible with the Charter;

1. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make full use of the enforcement powers available under the DSA and the GPSR, including issuing binding removal orders requiring VLOPs to effectively remove any listings, products or services linked to the sexual exploitation of minors, and to impose the highest possible fines in cases of systemic or repeated non-compliance;

2. Stresses that, where repeated or systemic non-compliance is detected, such platforms should be banned until full compliance is demonstrably restored; considers that only the consistent and deterrent application of the maximum penalties will guarantee effective compliance and send a clear signal that the online and offline safety of children is non-negotiable, that the EU is no place for child abuse, and all operators should understand that they are expected to proactively contribute to child protection;

3. Stresses that such child-like sex dolls cannot be considered a harmless outlet but are a facilitator that conditions predators and perpetrators to commit real acts against children; recalls that experts in child protection consider such products to be training or progressive conditioning for at-risk individuals;

4. Calls on the Commission and the Council to mandate Europol to closely cooperate with and support national cybercrime units, to intensify targeted monitoring and investigative operations online, including on darknet marketplaces, with a view to identifying illegal products facilitating, normalising or linked to the sexual exploitation of minors; further requests that Europol provide regular confidential briefings to the competent authorities and parliamentary bodies on emerging trends and operational needs;

5. Asks the Commission and the Member States to strengthen cooperation between EU customs authorities, Europol and major e-commerce platforms to advance the implementation of current legislation and to implement rapid-warning mechanisms to identify and remove listings of illegal or high-risk items, and to ensure traceability back to manufacturers and exporters;

6. Demands that the competent authorities be equipped with the necessary technological tools and effective cross-border cooperation mechanisms to effectively identify and take action against non-compliant traders, listings or imports facilitated via online platforms; stresses that customs authorities and market surveillance bodies require reinforced operational capacity to keep pace with the scale and complexity of international trade; calls on the Commission and the Member States, in the context of the upcoming multiannual financial framework, to provide adequate and sustained financing – through relevant EU programmes and national budgets – to support these authorities in effective enforcement and in safeguarding the integrity and competitiveness of the internal market;

7. Calls on the Commission to engage with the competent Chinese authorities, through existing EU-China dialogue mechanisms, such as customs cooperation, security dialogues and law-enforcement working groups, in order to prevent the manufacture, export and online distribution of illegal products, such as those intended to facilitate or normalise the sexual exploitation of minors, and to ensure that such criminal products are intercepted at source before reaching EU markets;

8. Calls on the Commission to explore the inclusion of specific clauses in EU-China trade and customs cooperation frameworks to address the detection, traceability and banning of any criminal product linked to child exploitation, and to ensure effective enforcement by manufacturing and export authorities;

9. Invites the Commission to report annually to Parliament on progress made in EU-China cooperation on bans on criminal products, online and on the darknet, including improved monitoring of results, and more effective joint actions targeting products associated with the sexual exploitation of children;

10. Deplores the systemic failure to adequately screen high-volume imports from VLOPs, which prioritise low costs over safety and sustainability, and fail to meet EU safety standards;

11. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to establish enhanced monitoring and coordinated enforcement mechanisms to trace and check the supply chains of products sold via China-based e-commerce platforms, noting that a significant share of such products is shipped from warehouses located within the EU;

12. Urges national market surveillance authorities to intensify inspections of fulfilment centres, cross-docking hubs and logistics operators servicing these platforms, in order to identify unsafe, counterfeit or illegal products before they reach consumers;

13. Calls on the Commission to accelerate the development and full operationalisation of the Safety Gate Rapid Alert System and the Safety Business Gateway provided for in the GPSR, ensuring that both instruments become fully interoperable and capable of supporting real-time detection and notification of illegal products, information exchange and coordinated enforcement;

14. Calls on all VLOPs selling products and acting as marketplaces to ensure full compliance with binding orders issued by competent national authorities or Europol to disclose sellers’ and buyers’ identities, supply-chain information and customer data related to illegal products intended to facilitate or normalise the sexual exploitation of minors, in accordance with Union and national law, including the DSA and data protection rules;

15. Stresses that the protection of minors constitutes one of the DSA’s primary objectives and that any infringement putting the physical or mental health, safety or fundamental rights of minors at risk must be regarded as particularly serious;

16. Invites the Commission to publish a legislative proposal amending Article 52 DSA to increase the maximum limit on penalties for infringements that could seriously endanger minors, in particular when they involve products intended to facilitate or normalise the sexual exploitation of minors;

17. Calls on the Member States to ensure rigorous and effective enforcement of Article 52 DSA, including the use of strong and deterrent sanctions in cases where competent authorities establish serious shortcomings in the risk-assessment or mitigation measures; underlines that the level of penalties must be proportionate to the gravity and recurrence of the infringements, and that the full range of sanctions provided for under the DSA should be available to the authorities in order to guarantee meaningful compliance and uphold the highest level of protection for children; invites the Member States to consider imposing the highest possible fines, in all proven cases where providers of intermediary services, including VLOPs, have failed to adequately assess, mitigate or remove systemic risks affecting minors, such as the dissemination of child sexual abuse material, the sale of dangerous or illegal products targeting children, the exposure of minors to grooming techniques or other forms of online exploitation or the supply of products intended to facilitate or normalise the sexual exploitation of minors;

18. Expresses strong concerns about intentionally built-in mechanisms exploiting the dopamine reward loop, whose architecture aims to maximise screen time and thus has a destructive effect on the mental health, attention autonomy and cognitive abilities of both young users and adults; invites the Commission to consider the disclosure and elimination of such mechanisms as a precondition for access to the EU market;

19. Suggests that funds collected by Member States through fines and penalties should be allocated to combating child sexual abuse networks and assisting victims of child sexual abuse;

20. Invites the Commission to focus its efforts to implement the DSA on non-compliance of products that could endanger EU citizens’ safety, rather than using it as a tool to restrict free speech;

21. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.