Sex toy company PinkPunch has made a public apology after one of its staff members knowingly sought a brand partnership with a minor.
PinkPunch makes what the company calls “futuristic” quirky sex toys, including vibrators that can be controlled by an app. The firm works with influencers to promote its products on [NSFW] social media, and said that one of its staffers “sought a partnership with an individual under the age of 18” and “did not back track” when they learned that the individual was a minor.
The company said this was “completely wrong and reprehensible”, adding: “We apologize for this serious lapse in judgment.”
PinkPunch, which is legally incorporated in Hong Kong, said that the employee had been sacked and that the firm’s staff would undertake mandatory training focusing on the prohibition of engagement with minors. PinkPunch also said it would “actively block any user identified as under 18 from interacting with us”.
The company said it had never worked with minors in the past, and that following the incident it would place markers on its content to “indicate age appropriateness”. PinkPunch said it had “privately apologized to those affected, and they have accepted our apology”.
Influencers based in the US had previously been enlisted by PinkPunch to promote their sex toys on Instagram. Recruiting someone aged under 18 to do so would likely be a serious breach of US federal child exploitation laws.
“We fully acknowledge that this was a grave mistake and that we should’ve never allowed this to happen. To all those affected – including the individuals involved, our followers, and our partners – we offer our deepest apologies. As a company, we should’ve been more careful to correctly select our staff to avoid such an important and gross mistake,” PinkPunch said in a statement.
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