Meta Whistleblower: "Blind Eye" to Child Harm in VR, Prioritizing Engagement Over Safety

Meta's Negligent Approach to Child Safety

• 💡 Cayce Savage, a former Meta user experience researcher, states that Meta is unwilling to listen to users or prioritize their safety, particularly for children.
• ⚠️ This negligent approach to safety, exemplified in VR, is emblematic of Meta's broader product safety issues.
• 🎯 Meta fails to prioritize child safety until scrutinized by regulators, then implements insufficient features advertised as responsibility.

Child Harm in Meta's VR Platform

• 🚫 Meta is aware of underage children on its VR platform but purposely turns a blind eye to avoid being Kappa compliant, which would require removing these users.
• 📉 This avoidance is driven by a desire to maintain high active user numbers for reporting to shareholders, as engagement is Meta's top priority.
• 🧠 Due to VR's immersive nature, negative experiences like bullying, sexual assault, solicitation for nude photographs, and exposure to mature content cause greater psychological harm than on other platforms.
• ⚡ Assaults in VR require real-life movements, making virtual reality experiences akin to reality.

Research Censorship and Lack of Accountability

• 🔬 Savage, who led research on youth safety in VR, was hired in 2022, eight years after Meta acquired Oculus, indicating a lack of focus on child safety during crucial market development.
• 🔒 Her research was heavily scrutinized by a legal counterpart, with restrictions on what could be investigated and reports designed to shield Meta from public disclosure.
• ⚠️ Savage was discouraged from investigating child harm and felt her job was at risk if she persisted, with her work being used to silence users and claim deniability.
• 📊 Meta claims ignorance about the number of underage children using VR, despite internal leadership acknowledging the issue, and research to address this was blocked.

Meta's Continued Lack of Change

• 📉 Despite previous whistleblower testimonies and promises to change, Meta has worsened, focusing on shielding itself rather than making products safer.
• ⚠️ Emerging technologies developed by Meta pose even greater risks to children than existing platforms like Instagram.
• 🚩 Meta consistently prioritizes its bottom line over the safety of children, failing to acknowledge their existence on its platforms.