Meta Under Fire for Allegedly Burying Child VR Safety Research – Washington Post
Meta Under Fire for Allegedly Burying Child VR Safety Research – Washington Post
According a report by the Washington Post, Meta is facing scrutiny after whistleblowers claimed the company suppressed internal research that revealed risks for children using its VR platforms. Reports submitted to Congress describe cases where minors were exposed to predatory behavior, including an incident in Germany where a child under 10 was allegedly sexually propositioned while using a Quest headset. Employees say details of such incidents were removed from official reports under managerial orders.
Internal memos cited by whistleblowers indicate that Meta’s legal team advised against collecting data on children in VR, citing regulatory risks following earlier congressional hearings. Employees also warned that children under 13 were bypassing age restrictions, even before they officially lowered the minimum usage age to 10.
Their spokesperson Dani Lever dismissed the allegations, stating the documents were “stitched together to fit a predetermined and false narrative” and insisted the company does not ban research on under-13 users. Lever emphasized that Meta backs its research team’s work and that privacy laws such as GDPR may have required redactions.
Two researchers, Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage, are expected to testify before a Senate judiciary subcommittee in a session titled Hidden Harms: Examining Whistleblower Allegations that Meta Buried Child Safety Research. The hearing will focus on online safety and the company’s handling of minors in VR.
The controversy comes as they prepare to expand its Horizon Worlds app to preteens with parental approval, drawing criticism from lawmakers demanding assurances on child safety and privacy.
Adding to their’s challenges, former WhatsApp security chief Attaullah Baig has filed a lawsuit alleging systemic security failures. He claims thousands of engineers had unrestricted access to user data in violation of a $5 billion FTC settlement, and that his warnings were ignored by company leadership. Baig described their’s culture as resistant to questioning past decisions, even when serious privacy risks were identified.
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About Meta Horizon and Reality Labs
Meta Horizon and Reality Labs are central to their push into immersive technology. Horizon Worlds is the company’s flagship social VR platform, designed to let users create, explore, and interact in shared virtual spaces. Initially targeted at teens and adults, Meta has recently expanded access to preteens with parental approval, positioning Horizon as a core part of its metaverse strategy. The platform supports gaming, social hangouts, and creator-built experiences, with they are encouraging user-generated content as a way to drive long-term engagement.
Reality Labs is Meta’s research and development arm for AR, VR, and mixed reality. It is responsible for the Quest VR headsets, AR glasses, and advancements in haptics, displays, and AI integration. Since 2022, Reality Labs has conducted extensive studies into safety, youth well-being, and user behavior, with findings informing new parental controls and product safeguards. Together, Horizon and Reality Labs represent Meta’s long-term vision for the metaverse. Meta have invested Billions of USD$ into the research.
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