Six current and former Meta employees have come forward with serious allegations, claiming the company suppressed or outright deleted internal research that revealed harm to children on its virtual reality (VR) platforms. According to the whistleblowers, who have provided detailed disclosures to Congress, Meta was aware of children being exposed to issues like grooming, sexual harassment, and violence in its 3D virtual spaces.
These individuals allege that the company prioritized user engagement and revenue over child safety. In a particularly disturbing case, a researcher was told by a teenager that their sibling, under the age of 10, was frequently exposed to sexual advances from strangers in Meta’s VR environments. The whistleblowers claim that instead of addressing such findings, managers instructed researchers to avoid work that could generate evidence of child harm, and in some instances, even ordered the deletion of damning data.
The allegations are not new for Meta; previous whistleblowers like Frances Haugen and Arturo Béjar have also accused the company of neglecting the well-being of young users for profit. These latest claims, which include specific examples from internal communications, suggest a pattern of behavior in which the company actively worked to conceal potential harm rather than fix it. The revelations have prompted a new congressional hearing, with lawmakers expressing outrage and demanding accountability from Meta’s leadership.
