During a hearing this week before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy and Technology, Meta faced accusations that its virtual reality (VR) platform failed to protect children from inappropriate adult behavior. The whistleblower said Meta chose to cover up risks rather than solve problems in order to avoid outside scrutiny and protect its billions of dollars in investments.
Two former Meta employees, Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage, said in sworn testimony that the company ignored the safety of children during its investment in the Metaverse and instead deleted evidence. They worked as researchers at Meta, specializing in the impact of virtual reality products on underage users.
The two noted that minors frequently encountered explicit content and inappropriate behavior on Meta's VR platform, and that company executives thwarted their attempts to assess and prevent these issues.
Savage left Meta in 2023. She said children face serious risks on the Meta virtual reality platform, including being lured into asking for nude photos, being exposed to pornographic content, or being invited into virtual environments that simulate adult venues, such as virtual strip clubs. She said the company prevented her from conducting research into the prevalence of the condition.
"I wish I could tell you how many children are experiencing these harms, but Meta simply won't allow me to do this kind of research," she told Congress at the hearing.
Satyzan described other cases in which children heard explicit sounds of adults masturbating in virtual environments. He told senators he was fired from the company after raising concerns internally.
"The audio being transmitted is not just sexual temptation. There is also part where you will hear the sound of someone's self-pleasure. These audios are transmitted in the space around you, causing harassment and intimidation." Satizan said.
Meta refuted the accusations, with company spokesman Andy Stone calling them "complete nonsense" and saying the company had never suppressed internal research or deleted evidence related to child safety. He stressed that privacy rules in Europe and the United States require companies to delete information about children under 13 unless they have parental permission. He also added that since 2022 Meta has commissioned about thirty studies involving adolescent issues, as well as hundreds of studies covering a wider range of topics.
The charges come as Meta has long been criticized for failing to protect teenage users, condoning addiction and failing to stop predators. From Facebook and Instagram to AI chatbots, Meta’s handling of underage users has been the focus of lawmakers, state attorneys general and class action lawyers.
This new allegation about virtual reality complements the testimony of previous whistleblowers such as Frances Haugen in 2021 and Sarah Wynn-Williams this year. Savage and Satizan said Meta prioritized controlling negative publicity and requiring researchers to draft reports that downplayed the company's risks over user safety.
Satyzan also disclosed that his team had recorded a serious case in which a minor in Germany was coerced by group users and asked to perform sexual acts. He said Meta management ordered evidence related to the incident to be deleted.
Senators from both parties reacted strongly. Subcommittee Chair Marsha Blackburn said the witnesses, who were supposed to keep minors safe, revealed that companies "knew their products were harmful but didn't care." Senator Amy Klobuchar also accused Meta of deliberately concealing the fact that minors used VR systems and suffered significant harm.
Several lawmakers have called for tougher laws to impose greater liability on big tech companies. Last year, the Senate passed a bill requiring the establishment of a "duty of care" for children in cyberspace, but the bill stalled in the House of Representatives. Senator Josh Hawley called for broader prosecution rights for children and parents: "We must open the court doors and give victims the opportunity to seek justice in the courts."
Since acquiring Oculus for $2 billion in 2014 and renaming it Meta Quest in 2021, Meta has invested billions of dollars in virtual and augmented reality. However, Savage and Satyzan said the company has done very little to protect underage users.