A group of six informants of violations has made allegations of damage to children on Meta virtual devices and applications. They say that the social media company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, offers a range of VR headphones, and delete or internal safety research that has shown that children are subjected to grooming, sexual harassment and violence in its three -dimensional worlds.
“Meta knew that the children below the legal age were using their products, but they counted,” hey, the children lead to participation, “said Jason Satitzan, one of the informants who worked in the VR research in the statement. “Meta has endangered its internal teams to manipulate research and direct data that they do not like.”
Sattizahn and other violations, all current or ex -employees, have revealed these results and a set of documents to Congress, according to Washington PostWhich was first informed of these allegations. Sattizahn and CayCe Savage, who was a major researcher in Meta in the experience of a youth user in VR, will appear in front of the American Senate Judicial Committee on Privacy, Technology and Law on Tuesday.
Danny Liver, Meta’s spokesperson, said that the company has approved 180 studies related to de facto laboratories in virtual reality since 2022, which includes research on youth safety and luxury.
“These few examples are placed together to suit a specific and false novel,” she said, adding that Meta has provided features of its VR products to reduce unwanted communication and supervision tools for parents.
The allegations of the amounts reported to the amounts of the two are claiming on Monday that on Meta VR products, the company could do more to ensure the safety of children. Violations reporters say that the company’s managers have ordered employees to avoid research that may show evidence of children’s harm in virtual reality.
In one case, the researcher was said to have been said to “swallow that ICK”.
In another case, it is claimed that the researcher is asked to delete information from an interview with a German family, according to the Washington Post. During that interview, one of the teenage boy told the researcher that his brother, who was under the age of ten, was “confronted with strangers” often in Meta’s VR and that “adults suggested his young brother.”
These allegations are established as a fixed procession for former Meta employees Apply to criticize the company Not to do enough to protect children from harm to social media products. The lawmakers have also participated in the executives of the Mita repeatedly to pay the content to young people who encourage bullying, drug use and self -harm.
In one session of Congress in January 2024, Republican Senator Josh Holie surveyed Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, to apologize publicly.
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Zuckerberg said at the time: “I am sorry for everything I have all went through,” Zuckerberg said at the time. “No one should go through the things that your family suffered, and this is why we are investing a lot and we will continue to make efforts at the industry level to ensure that no one had to do the things that your family had to suffer.”
Marsha Blackburn, Republican Senator from Tennessee, said that the detection of VR products in Meta shows that Congress needs to pass legislation that puts handrails on social media companies.
Blackburn said: “Instead of paying attention to serious concerns about children’s widespread damage to their platforms, employees have silenced employees who dared to advance, buried terrible evidence, and used innocent children without shame as shystep to tie their pockets,” Blackburn said. “These violations should be praised for the courage to expose the disgusting lies of Meta.”
The six amounts are represented by non -profit legal aid to those who report violations. They are scheduled to witness before the sub -committee on Tuesday.
The current and former Meta staff also presented a detailed disclosure of Congress, the Securities and Stock Exchange Committee and the Federal Trade Committee.