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  • Meta suppressed children's safety research, 4 whistleblowers claim

    Meta suppressed children's safety research, 4 whistleblowers claim

    Two current and two former Meta employees disclosed documents to Congress alleging that the company may have suppressed research on children’s safety, according to a report from The Washington Post.

    According to their claims, Meta changed its policies around researching sensitive topics — like politics, children, gender, race, and harassment — six weeks after whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal documents that showed how Meta’s own research found that Instagram can damage teen girls’ mental health. These revelations, which were made public in 2021, kicked off years of hearings in Congress over child safety on the internet, an issue that remains a hot topic in global governments today.

    As part of these policy changes, the report says, Meta proposed two ways that researchers could limit the risk of conducting sensitive research. One suggestion was to loop lawyers into their research, protecting their communications from “adverse parties” due to attorney-client privilege. Researchers could also write about their findings more vaguely, avoiding terms like “not compliant” or “illegal.”

    Jason Sattizahn, a former Meta researcher specializing in virtual reality, told The Washington Post that his boss made him delete recordings of an interview in which a teen claimed that his 10-year-old brother had been sexually propositioned on Meta’s VR platform, Horizon Worlds.

    “Global privacy regulations make clear that if information from minors under 13 years of age is collected without verifiable parental or guardian consent, it has to be deleted,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.

    But the whistleblowers claim that the documents they submitted to Congress show a pattern of employees being discouraged from discussing and researching their concerns around how children under 13 were using Meta’s social virtual reality apps.

    “These few examples are being stitched together to fit a predetermined and false narrative; in reality, since the start of 2022, Meta has approved nearly 180 Reality Labs-related studies on social issues, including youth safety and well-being,” Meta told TechCrunch.

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    Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

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    Join 10k+ tech and VC leaders for growth and connections at Disrupt 2025

    Netflix, Box, a16z, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital, Elad Gil — just some of the 250+ heavy hitters leading 200+ sessions designed to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech. Grab your ticket before Sept 26 to save up to $668.

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    In a lawsuit filed in February, Kelly Stonelake — a former Meta employee of 15 years — raised similar concerns to these four whistleblowers. She told TechCrunch earlier this year that she led “go-to-market” strategies to bring Horizon Worlds to teenagers, international markets, and mobile users, but she felt that the app did not have adequate ways to keep out users under 13; she also flagged that the app had persistent issues with racism.

    “The leadership team was aware that in one test, it took an average of 34 seconds of entering the platform before users with Black avatars were called racial slurs, including the ‘N-word’ and ‘monkey,’” the suit alleges.

    Stonelake has separately sued Meta for alleged sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

    While these whistleblowers’ allegations center on Meta’s VR products, the company is also facing criticism for how other products, like AI chatbots, affect minors. Reuters reported last month that Meta’s AI rules previously allowed chatbots to have “romantic or sensual” conversations with children.

  • Level Up: Why Leadership Skills are the Secret Sauce for Start‑Ups

    Level Up: Why Leadership Skills are the Secret Sauce for Start‑Ups

    Five Months In: My Start‑Up Reality, Point‑Blank

    It’s been half a year since I officially signed Cake Communications up at Companies House, yet every day feels like the start‑up rollercoaster I remember.

    From meetings that feel like endless circles, to pitching, writing proposals, and the dreaded admin grind, my life has become a whirlwind of activity. A financial whiz partner handles the books, letting me focus on business development, hunting new clients, and steering our core vision.

    What Good Leadership Looks Like

    I’ve seen the dramatic difference that great leaders can make. On the flip side, weak bosses can grind down both people and progress. That’s why when I set out to launch my own company, I vowed to lean into inspiration, not indifference. Investing in my own leadership skills was a no‑brainer from day one.

    Charles Darwin once said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” In a communications world that’s shifting faster than a TikTok trend—traditional media fading, digital explosions, and fragmented channels—adaptation is the lifeline.

    My Leadership Quest

    Throughout my career, I’ve watched leaders become so wrapped up in delivering day‑to‑day that they neglect their own growth. That stagnation ripples out, hurting teams and stunting the business’s potential. I’ve also worked under leaders who ignited my passion and gave me a purpose to rally behind. These experiences shaped my ambition: real, actionable leadership training.

    Everyone warned me I was “crazy” for pursuing this path, but their skepticism only sharpened my resolve—thanks for the pep talk!

    Enter the 20 Twenty Program

    Instead of a purely theoretical course, I chose the 20 Twenty programme by the Cardiff School of Management at Cardiff Metropolitan University. A 10‑month sprint combining workshops, action learning groups, master‑classes, mentoring, and coaching, the goal is to craft a three‑year growth strategy. This practical, outcomes‑first approach set it apart for me.

    So far, every moment has been a highlight. Even amid the chaos of day‑to‑day, stepping away to meet fellow entrepreneurs who genuinely care about scaling their businesses has been electrifying.

    Key takeaways so far

    • Sharpening coaching skills.
    • Developing new strategies for tough scenarios.
    • Building a network of like‑minded founders.
    • Winning a speed‑networking challenge (not a surprise, given my wandering business field).

    The most delightful part? Meeting seasoned entrepreneurs who, after two decades running their “babies,” decide to invest in themselves. They prove it’s never too late to hit the books, admit you’re clueless, and grow.

    As John F. Kennedy put it: “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” And that rings true, now more than ever.