If you thought Big Tech couldn’t sink any lower, think again. This week, Congress heard explosive testimony from whistleblowers accusing Meta—the empire of Mark Zuckerberg—of deliberately muzzling research that showed just how unsafe its virtual reality platforms are for children. Yes, you read that right: instead of protecting kids, Meta allegedly chose “plausible deniability.” Because nothing screams corporate responsibility like ignoring predators in the metaverse, right?
Former Meta researchers Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage painted a disturbing picture. Savage testified she personally witnessed instances of sexual predation and other harms facing children in VR. “I wish I could tell you the number of children in VR experiencing these harms,” she told senators, “but Meta would not allow me to conduct this research.” Translation: Meta didn’t want the truth on paper. After all, engagement numbers for shareholders apparently matter more than protecting kids.
Savage and Sattizahn made it crystal clear—Meta knows underage kids are all over its platforms. Savage even joked that the only way Zuckerberg could deny it is “if he had never used his own headset.” And of course, if Meta admitted the obvious, they’d have to comply with COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) and kick those users off. But that would hurt user counts, so… silence.
The senators weren’t buying Meta’s denials. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) spelled it out: Meta changes research methods to avoid tracking sexual and emotional harm, then scrubs data to hide the damage being done. Savage explained how VR abuse is uniquely dangerous—because when something happens to your avatar, your brain interprets it as happening to you. Kids are being cornered, surrounded, and “touched” in digital spaces that feel frighteningly real.
The hearing revealed bipartisan outrage. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) said it flat: tech giants are “intentionally, knowingly harming our children.” Hawley went further, demanding accountability: “It is abundantly clear to me that it is time to allow parents and victims to sue this company. We need to open the courtroom doors.”
Meta, of course, “vehemently denies” all this—just like they did back in 2021 when leaked studies already showed how toxic Instagram was for teens. And yet, here we are again, more whistleblowers, more excuses, same old story.
Here’s the truth: Meta will not change until Congress forces its hand. That much is obvious. But there’s a silver lining—leaders in Washington, for once, seem to agree that Big Tech can’t keep exploiting kids with zero accountability.
Parents, patriots, and policymakers should take note: if Congress follows through with the Kids Online Safety Act, victims may finally get their day in court. And maybe—just maybe—we’ll see Silicon Valley reminded that children’s safety comes before corporate profits.
Because in America, protecting kids isn’t optional—it’s our duty. And no tech giant is above that.
