A Meta whistleblower has accused the company of prioritizing profit over the safety of children on its virtual reality platform, Horizon Worlds. The complaint, filed by nonprofit Fairplay, alleges that Meta knowingly allowed underage users to access the platform, violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). This accusation has raised concerns about Meta’s handling of user safety, particularly for minors, on one of its most significant metaverse projects.
Whistleblower’s Allegations Against Meta on Horizon Worlds Safety
Kelly Stonelake, a former Meta employee who worked at the company for nearly 15 years, led product marketing for Horizon Worlds until early 2024. She submitted a sworn statement as part of a complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Stonelake accused Meta executives of having extensive knowledge that minors were accessing Horizon Worlds by logging into adult accounts. Despite this awareness, the company continued to focus on growth and user engagement rather than addressing the safety risks posed to children on the platform.
Stonelake, who Meta laid off in January 2024 after a medical leave, filed a lawsuit against the company in February, alleging sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. In the latest complaint, Stonelake revealed that leadership often sidelined safety concerns at Horizon Worlds in favor of user growth, stating, “Throughout my experience, the emphasis at Horizon was consistently on user growth, with safety considerations managed by leadership like liabilities to be minimized.”
Horizon Worlds and Meta’s Alleged Failure to Prevent Access for Minors
Fairplay’s nine-month investigation into Horizon Worlds found that children under 13 were accessing the platform by using adult accounts. This loophole allowed Meta to collect sensitive data from minors without the consent of their parents, violating COPPA regulations. Fairplay’s researchers documented the presence of minors in nearly every virtual experience they visited, including some of the most popular games and spaces in Horizon Worlds.
The investigation further highlighted that Meta failed to intervene when it encountered children in these spaces. Fairplay claims that Meta’s community guides, the employees assigned to manage the platform’s user interactions, interacted with underage users without escalating the issue or removing the minors from the platform. Despite having the authority to remove underage users or report them to safety specialists, the community guides did not take appropriate action.
Meta’s Response to the Whistleblower and Fairplay’s Investigation
Meta responded to the allegations and stated that it is committed to providing safe and age-appropriate experiences on its platform. A spokesperson for the company explained that parents must manage accounts for children aged 10 to 12 on the Quest device and grant permission for them to access Horizon Worlds. Meta also introduced supervised child accounts in November 2024 to help protect younger users, claiming that if it found any pre-teens using adult accounts, it would take steps to ensure they are in the right experience.
However, Fairplay’s investigation revealed that children continued to use adult accounts, bypassing safety restrictions by entering false birthdates. In some cases, the presence of minors was overwhelming, with over 50% of users in certain spaces identified as children. This raised concerns about the effectiveness of Meta’s new child account system.
Meta Whistleblower Claims the Company Prioritized Growth Over Safety
Stonelake, in her statement, emphasized the lack of genuine concern for user safety at Meta. She said, “Horizon Worlds was initially presented as a platform fostering inclusion and belonging, exemplified by hero scenarios like providing a safe space for marginalized individuals. In reality, it became a breeding ground for unchecked racism, sexual harassment, bullying, and child endangerment.”
The whistleblower also mentioned that Meta executives were aware of underage users accessing the platform, as evidenced by internal posts from 2022. One employee shared concerns about encountering young users directing racial slurs at them, with several Meta executives discussing the issue. Stonelake also claims that there was a directive to avoid documenting the presence of children and teenagers on Horizon Worlds due to potential legal consequences.
Meta’s Metaverse Expansion and Rising Pressure
Meta’s expansion of Horizon Worlds to include younger users came at a time when the company was under increasing pressure to prove the success of its metaverse ambitions. Internal documents revealed that Meta’s chief technology officer, Andrew Bosworth, called 2025 the “most critical” year for the metaverse, emphasizing the need to drive sales and engagement in Horizon Worlds. The company had already lowered the age threshold for access to Horizon Worlds, first opening it to teens aged 13 and up, then adding supervised accounts for children as young as 10 in late 2024.
However, as internal metrics showed a drop in monthly active users, Meta pushed harder to expand its user base by allowing more children to join the platform, potentially at the expense of user safety. This shift in strategy has now drawn scrutiny from child safety advocates and raised new questions about Meta’s approach to protecting its youngest users.
