Meta accused of hiding research on the dangers of its VR headsets for children

Meta is suspected of editing and concealing the results of internal research that indicated risks to children when using VR headsets.

As reported by The Washington Post, current and former employees have submitted documents to the US Congress describing cases where adults attempted to recruit minors in virtual reality for sexual purposes.

Two researchers reported meeting with a German family whose child, under the age of 10, was exposed to strangers in VR chat rooms, including receiving lewd advances. The researchers said management ordered the details to be removed from the official report. The public version of the document only mentioned that some parents were concerned about such situations.

The documents submitted to Congress also include instructions from Meta's legal department to avoid collecting data on children using VR, citing "regulatory concerns." Employees warned that children under 13 were circumventing age restrictions, although the company later officially lowered the minimum age for users to 10.

A Meta spokesperson said that all of these documents were "collected to create a false narrative" and that the company does not prohibit research on children. The company did not confirm or deny the incident with the German family, explaining the possible deletion of information by the requirements of US laws and the European regulator GDPR regarding the processing of children's personal data. The researchers insist that they had written consent from the child's mother.

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee plans to consider the allegations at a hearing this week. It was previously reported that Meta is opening its VR app Horizon Worlds to teens with parental approval, which has already prompted a Senate inquiry into the presence of minors on the service and the company's compliance with safety regulations.