A former Meta employee has accused the company of knowingly allowing children onto its virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds, despite safety risks and potential violations of federal law.
Kelly Stonelake, who worked for the company for nearly 15 years and led product marketing for Horizon Worlds until early 2024, submitted a sworn statement as part of a complaint filed Thursday with the Federal Trade Commission. Fairplay, a nonprofit focused on children's media and marketing, lodged the complaint.
Stonelake, who said she was laid off by Meta in January 2024 after being on medical leave for about a year, filed a lawsuit against her former employer in February for sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and retaliation. Meta then filed a motion to dismiss last month.
Fairplay alleges that Meta violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by permitting children under 13 to access Horizon Worlds using adult accounts — a loophole it said would enable the company to collect personal data from minors without parental consent. The nonprofit is calling for the FTC to investigate Meta.
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