What did the whistleblowers from Meta claim?

The whistleblowers claimed that Meta's internal research showed its virtual reality (VR) products were causing harm to children, including exposing them to sexual solicitation and graphic content, but the company buried and restricted further research on the topic rather than address the safety issues.

How did Meta respond to the whistleblowers' allegations?

Meta denied the claims, stating that the allegations were "nonsense" and based on "selectively leaked internal documents." The company said it had approved nearly 180 VR-related studies on youth safety and wellbeing since the start of 2022.

What is the current status of the investigation into Meta's practices?

The Senate judiciary subcommittee has announced an investigation into whether Meta's generative AI products enable exploitation or other criminal harms to children, following the whistleblowers' testimony and leaked internal documents.

Home / Technology / Meta Accused of Burying Alarming VR Safety Research on Children

Meta Accused of Burying Alarming VR Safety Research on Children

9 Sep

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Summary

Meta's internal research showed VR products were causing harm to children
Company restricted further research rather than act on the findings
Whistleblowers claim Meta "engages in harmful and deceptive business practices"

Meta Accused of Burying Alarming VR Safety Research on Children

According to two former Meta employees who testified before a US Senate subcommittee on September 10, 2025, the tech giant has been burying and restricting internal research that revealed its virtual reality (VR) products were causing significant harm to children.

The whistleblowers, Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage, claim Meta's own research in recent years showed children regularly encountering sexual solicitation from adults and being exposed to other graphic content and interactions while using the company's VR platforms. However, instead of addressing these safety issues, the $1.9 trillion company allegedly chose to limit further research on the topic.

The former employees allege Meta "engages in harmful and deceptive business practices that imperil its users and likely violate the law." They say the company's lawyers conducted "legal surveillance" over internal VR safety research projects and threatened their jobs if they did not comply with restrictions on the scope and methods of the studies.

The revelations come as Meta faces growing scrutiny over its alleged failure to protect younger users, even as the company pours billions into building new artificial intelligence products and loosening moderation standards. The whistleblowers' claims add to the mounting pressure on Meta to address the safety concerns surrounding its virtual reality offerings.

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