Meta Platforms META +1.78% is facing new claims from two former employees who claim the company buried research on the safety of children in its virtual reality products. The whistleblowers told a Senate subcommittee that internal studies showed kids faced risks from adult contact and graphic content inside the company’s metaverse platforms. They said instead of fixing these problems, Meta cut back on research and controlled what findings could be shared.
One of the former staff members, Jason Sattizahn, claimed that safety work only moved forward when it could help drive user activity and profit. He also said Meta’s legal team reviewed projects closely after earlier leaks from Frances Haugen in 2021 and even threatened jobs if research did not follow company lines. Another former staffer, Cayce Savage, said Meta canceled research on how many underage users were on the platform because a more accurate count would have forced Meta to shut down accounts and reduce engagement.
These testimonies from Meta’s former employees add another layer to the company’s ongoing legal and ethical battles in recent years, with Cambridge Analytica serving as the opening shot.
Meta has denied the claims, calling them selective and misleading. The company said...
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