France investigates Vinted for links to pornographic content

Second-hand clothing platform Vinted is under investigation in France after some user accounts were found to be directing visitors Sexual content.

France’s children’s rights commissioner Sarah El-Haïry said she had asked regulator Arcom to review the first-reported allegations in the French press.

Vinted, which has 23 million users in France, has no age verification process, meaning children and teenagers can be exposed to pornographic material without having to show proof they are 18 or over.

The Lithuania-based company said in a statement that it has a “zero-tolerance policy regarding the unsolicited transmission or promotion of sexual services.”

“All inappropriate and illegal content will be removed and, where necessary, action will be taken against users, including explicitly blocking them from accessing our website,” AFP quoted the message as saying.

It added that Vinted was taking the situation “very seriously”.

Reports first surfaced after some sellers showing photos of swimwear or lingerie were caught luring viewers to their personal pages on adult platforms such as OnlyFans.

“Predators have been using sales of generic clothing to direct people to pornographic websites,” El-Khayry said.

France recently issued warnings to other global e-commerce platforms, including Singapore-based Shein, after products including childlike sex dolls appeared in their marketing listings.

French officials said the case against Shein was part of a broader investigation into other major e-commerce platforms accused of allowing illegal products to be sold online.

Paris prosecutors are investigating whether Shein, AliExpress, Temu and Wish violated laws regarding violent, pornographic or “dignified” content accessible to minors.

Shein and AliExpress were also specifically investigated for allegedly distributing child-related pornographic material. The cases have been referred to the Paris Office for Minors, which handles crimes involving the protection of children.

Shein has banned the sale of all sex dolls globally on its platform and said it would permanently block seller accounts associated with the items.

France’s consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Control of Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud, said the description of the dolls left “no doubt about their child pornographic nature”.