Meta Platforms, Inc. (META) Put VR Profits Over Kids' Safety, Whistleblowers Allege

Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is among the 15 Stocks ChatGPT Predicts Could Make You Wealthy in 5 Years. However, the company is in the hot seat again over whistleblower allegations that the tech giant stifled kids’ safety.

On September 9, two former researchers told a Senate panel that the Facebook parent prioritized profits from its virtual-reality platform over safety. Cayce Savage, a former user experience researcher, said that Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) had shut down internal research that showed the company knew kids were using its virtual-reality products and were exposed to sexually explicit content.

Savage further said that the researchers were asked not to investigate harm to kids using the technology, so that the company could claim ignorance of the problem. She encountered several instances of children being sexually assaulted, bullied, and asked for inappropriate photographs during the course of her work.

These allegations build on Reuters’ exclusive report last month on an internal policy document at Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) revealing that the company allowed its chatbots to ‘engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.’

The tech giant has previously stated that examples reported by the news agency were inconsistent with its policies and had been removed.

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