Overview
- The Bundesverfassungsgericht issued a written decision on Thursday, July 2, 2026, rejecting two constitutional complaints by a six-to-two majority and leaving Paragraph 184l of the Criminal Code in force.
- Paragraph 184l, adopted in July 2021, outlaws manufacture, sale, purchase and possession of sex dolls with a childlike appearance and carries penalties of up to five years for makers and sellers and up to three years for buyers or owners.
- The court majority accepted the legislature's view that the ban is proportionate because the state must protect children's physical, psychological and sexual integrity and may act on a plausible risk assessment.
- Judge Thomas Offenloch published a dissent calling the law moralistic and critics including defence lawyers and the Deutscher Anwaltverein say the rule criminalises private fantasies and relies on vague criteria for what counts as 'childlike'.
- Researchers find the evidence mixed: a Duisburg‑Essen study of 40 affected people reported negative effects and no clear protective benefit, police statistics show comparatively few cases (185 from 2022–2025), and the EU has opened enforcement scrutiny of platforms such as Shein over cross‑border listings.