A Meta Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset during a media preview of the Meta Store in Burlingame, Calif., May 4, 2022. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Testifying before the Senate were Cayce Savage and Jason Sattizahn, both former Meta researchers.
Sattizahn alleged Meta routinely prioritized engagement and profit over safety — especially for kids — and manipulated or erased research showing harm.
He said despite attempts to curb data collection, the studies researchers could run still showed the company’s products endangered users.
Germany once banned Meta’s VR sales over data treatment concerns; after sales resumed in 2022, Sattizahn was sent to conduct research there.
META AI DOCS EXPOSED, ALLOWING CHATBOTS TO FLIRT WITH KIDS
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., spoke during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing on Meta’s VR platforms Sept. 9, 2025, urging Congress to "open the courtroom doors" so families can sue. (Chip Somodevilla)
She said the company employed suppression tactics, including editing reports, demanding deletions and threatening jobs.
Hawley asked Savage why it was important for Meta to have children under 13 using VR. She told him kids drive household adoption of gaming devices, which means more money for Meta.
"So, this is about profits at the end of the day," Hawley told Savage while seeking clarification on whether Meta will do anything for a profit, including exposing children to vile sexual abuse.
"When I was doing research to identify the harms that children were facing in VR, which I had to be sneaky about because legal wouldn't actually let me do it, I identified that Roblox, the app on in VR, was being used by coordinated pedophile rings," Savage said. "They set up strip clubs, and they paid children to strip."
She added that Robux could be converted into real money.
LOUISIANA SUES ONLINE GAMING PLATFORM ROBLOX FOR ALLEGEDLY ENABLING CHILD PREDATORS
Sen. Josh Hawley accused of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) of misleading Congress about under-13 users on the company’s platforms. Meta has called the whistleblowers’ claims "nonsense." (Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
During his testimony last year, the CEO said anyone under the age of 13 will be removed from the service, and, in response to another question, Zuckerberg said Meta does not want users under the age of 13.
Hawley said Zuckerberg misled Americans with that testimony, pointing to whistleblowers who said under-13 users are rampant on the platform.
"I don't see how you can square what he told us under oath last year with what these whistleblowers said today," Hawley told Fox News Digital. "But that's true of a lot of his statements. I mean, he said over and over, whether it's the safety protocols Facebook has put into place, that's not true.
"Whether it's regarding their work in China, he said, 'Oh, we don't do work in China.' That is not true. He said, 'We don't have any contacts with the Chinese government.' That's not true. So, I mean, we're really piling up a long list here."
Hawley said he has called for Zuckerberg to testify again under oath, though he’s heard Meta isn’t interested.
Sen. Hawley accused Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg of misleading Congress about under-13 users and pressing for swift accountability. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Ultimately, Hawley said, it was time to "open the courtroom doors" so victims and families can sue Meta for failing to protect children.
"It is abundantly clear to me that it is time to allow parents and victims to sue this company," he said. "They have got to be able to get into court and to get in front of a jury and hold this company accountable, and that begins with Mark Zuckerberg. There has to be accountability. We have to open the courtroom doors and allow victims to have their day in court."
Earlier this year, Hawley said he advanced legislation through the Judiciary Committee that would allow victims of child sex abuse online to sue Facebook or any Big Tech company where harm happens.
"I don’t think we’re going to see real change at these companies until this becomes law and parents and victims can get into court and hold these people accountable," he said. "The bottom line is we've got to protect our kids. I mean, they're making money by stealing the innocence of our children."
Meta told Fox News Digital the company is training its artificial intelligence bots to not respond to teenagers on self-harm, suicide, disorder eating and potentially inappropriate romantic conversations, regardless of content. The company is also working to limit teen access to a select group of AI characters, "for now."
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Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., closed the meeting by inviting anyone from Meta to testify or challenge what was said.
"I think that they see there is truly bipartisan anger, not only with Meta, but with these other social media platforms and virtual reality platforms and chatbots that are intentionally, knowingly harming our children," she said. "This has got to stop. Enough is enough."
Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.
Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hawley-pushes-legal-action-meta-whistleblowers-detail-child-abuse-vr