Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas, US, has banned SHEIN and other websites associated with China on all state networks and devices, according to a Jan. 26 news release. The ban extends to University Wi-Fi, a UT spokesperson confirmed.

The websites, which include SHEIN, Temu and Alibaba, were added to the state’s Covered Applications and Prohibited Technologies list after a “threat assessment” was conducted by Texas Cyber Command, the state’s cybersecurity department created by the legislature in June 2025, according to the news release. The new restrictions were placed on “physical hardware, artificial intelligence (AI), and software affiliated with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP),” according to the news release.

“Rogue actors across the globe who wish harm on Texans should not be allowed to infiltrate our state’s network and devices,” Abbott wrote in the release. “Hostile adversaries harvest user data through AI and other applications and hardware to exploit, manipulate, and violate users and put them at extreme risk.”

SHEIN, which originated in China, is an online fashion retailer that aims to make “fashion accessible to all,” according to the company’s website. However, it has been branded as a “fast fashion” company by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The term “fast fashion” refers to the mass production of inexpensive, trendy clothing to sell to consumers quickly and at low prices. SHEIN has also been criticized for unethical labor practices and unsafe products, with Paxton launching an investigation into the company last year.

“Any company that cuts corners on labor standards or product safety, especially those operating in foreign nations like China, will be held accountable,” Paxton wrote in a news release. “Texans deserve to know that the companies they buy from are ethical, safe, transparent, and not exploiting workers or selling harmful products. I will not allow cheap, dangerous, foreign goods to flood America and jeopardize our health.”

In 2023, SHEIN released a sustainability and social impact report stating it uncovered two cases of child labor in its supply chain and had resolved the issues. The company also shared in the report that it had nearly doubled its emissions from 2022 to 2023.

Chemical engineering freshman Isabella Botero, who is also minoring in fashion and consumer science, said she supports the SHEIN ban on state devices because of the company’s fashion production mechanisms.

“SHEIN not only takes advantage of lower-class individuals and children for cheap labor, (but also) uproots the planet with its constant replenishing of clothes and trends,” Botero said. “It’s sad to see a form of art be taken and just diluted to something so little.”

Instead of using SHEIN, Botero recommended rewearing clothes, learning to sew and being environmentally conscious of the stores one chooses to shop at.

“Sometimes, we get wrapped up in these big companies’ carbon footprints,” Botero said. “I’m just one person, and we kind of have the bystander effect, but remember, as a single individual, we can impact things.” (The Daily Texan, but headline rejigged)