Overview

• Former Meta researchers Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage testified that Meta’s VR platforms exposed children to grooming, nudity, sexual propositions and even live masturbation, and that evidence of such harms was edited or erased.
• Both witnesses said Meta’s legal team screened and steered research, citing a 2023 interview in Germany where records of a child being sexually propositioned were allegedly deleted from files and reports.
• The whistleblowers submitted thousands of internal pages to Congress and alleged that staff were told not to investigate youth harms and to avoid collecting data that could show under‑13 use of VR products.
• Meta rejected the allegations as a false narrative based on selective leaks, saying there was no blanket ban on youth research and citing nearly 180 Reality Labs studies since 2022 along with parental controls and default protections.
• Senators referenced recent concerns about Meta’s AI chatbot guidance and signaled plans to advance measures such as the Kids Online Safety Act and to expand avenues for victims to sue, while regulators continue seeking records.