France, Nov. 3 -- France's top official for child protection has called for checks on people who purchase "childlike" sex dolls online, amid growing outrage over their sale on major e-commerce platforms - including fast-fashion giant Shein, which has already been reported to prosecutors.

Sarah El Hairy, the French government's High Commissioner for Children, said on Monday that she wanted authorities to investigate whether any children might be at risk in the homes of buyers of what she called "paedocriminal objects".

"These dolls are training tools for predators - and unfortunately, sometimes the first step before moving on to actual abuse," she said in an interview with BFMTV.

"When you buy something as vile as this, there's a height...