Former Meta Researchers Allege Suppression of Child Safety Research in VR Platforms

On September 9, 2025, former Meta researchers Cayce Savage and Jason Sattizahn testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, alleging that Meta Platforms prioritized profits over children's safety by suppressing internal research on the risks associated with its virtual reality (VR) products.

Savage claimed that Meta knowingly allowed children under 13 to use its VR platforms, exposing them to harmful content, including sexual material. She stated that the company deliberately ignored internal research to maintain plausible deniability. Sattizahn corroborated these claims, noting that Meta's leniency towards inappropriate chatbot behavior with children was unsurprising.

Both whistleblowers indicated that Meta's legal team exerted control over research methods and findings, deleting or altering data deemed harmful to the company's image. Savage also stated that Meta deliberately avoided improving methods to detect underage users, fearing a decline in platform engagement.

In response, Meta dismissed the allegations, asserting that the claims are based on selectively leaked documents and emphasizing that it approved nearly 180 studies related to youth safety since 2022. The company recently introduced new safety policies for its AI systems to avoid inappropriate interactions with minors.

The hearing also highlighted the stalled progress of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), introduced in early 2022, which passed the Senate but failed to reach the House floor. Senator Marsha Blackburn used the hearing to advocate for the bill, emphasizing the need for legislative action to protect children online.