Whistleblower Alleges Meta Ignored Warnings on Kids' VR, Echoing Past Controversies

New revelations from a former Meta executive, Arturo Béjar, have sent ripples through the tech world, echoing past accusations of the social media giant prioritizing profit over the well-being of its youngest users. Béjar, who served as a senior integrity executive at Facebook (now Meta), claims the company repeatedly disregarded internal research and warnings regarding the potential negative impacts of its platforms, particularly its burgeoning virtual reality (VR) technologies, on children and teens.

His explosive claims center on a critical period where Meta was actively developing and promoting its Quest VR headsets, with an eye towards attracting younger demographics.

Béjar alleges that despite internal data highlighting concerns about the psychological and developmental effects of VR on young users, these warnings were downplayed or outright ignored in favor of growth metrics and market dominance. This stance, he argues, mirrors the controversial revelations made by another whistleblower, Frances Haugen, who previously exposed how Facebook's internal research indicated its platforms harmed teen mental health, yet the company failed to adequately address the issues.

The former executive's testimony paints a picture of a company driven by financial incentives, where the pursuit of new user bases – even young ones – superseded ethical considerations and safety protocols.

He suggests that the push for children's engagement with VR could have long-term, unforeseen consequences, particularly given the immersive and often isolating nature of virtual experiences. Béjar's concerns are not merely speculative; he points to concrete internal research that, according to his account, directly indicated potential harms, yet saw little to no corrective action from the company's leadership.

Adding another layer of scrutiny to Meta's corporate culture, the article also highlighted a significant trend of former Meta employees and executives selling off substantial portions of their stock.

While such sales can be routine for departing personnel, the timing and volume of these transactions, particularly in light of ongoing whistleblower controversies and increased regulatory pressure, raise questions about internal confidence in the company's future trajectory and ethical standing.

Meta, for its part, has vehemently denied Béjar's allegations, asserting its unwavering commitment to user safety and responsible innovation.

The company maintains that it has robust safety protocols in place and actively invests in research to understand and mitigate potential risks across its platforms, including VR. However, these denials are increasingly met with skepticism from lawmakers, advocacy groups, and the public, who continue to scrutinize the tech giant's practices in the wake of successive controversies.

The ongoing saga underscores a critical, unresolved tension in the tech industry: the balance between rapid innovation and corporate responsibility.

As virtual reality becomes more mainstream and accessible, the ethical imperative to protect vulnerable users, especially children, becomes paramount. Béjar's testimony serves as a stark reminder that without strong internal ethics and external oversight, the pursuit of technological advancement can inadvertently lead to significant societal harms.