WASHINGTON, DC (September 9, 2025) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) called for Meta to face accountability for enabling children to be sexually exploited in its Virtual Reality platform, as two Meta whistleblowers revealed during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing today.
“Shocking revelations about Meta’s prioritization of profits and user engagement over safety demand real accountability. Big Tech’s liability shield, Section 230, enables Meta and other tech platforms to harm children. Without liability, safety becomes not just an afterthought, but an obstacle to profit. Congress must repeal Section 230 and pass the Kids Online Safety Act. Ultimately, Meta needs to be held accountable for sexually exploiting children and knowingly putting them in harm’s way,” said Haley McNamara, Executive Director and Chief Strategy Officer, National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
Recently, NCOSE called on Congress to prioritize commonsense safety regulations for Artificial Intelligence in light of shocking news that Meta’s policies over its AI chatbot allowed it to “engage a child in conversations that are romantic or sensual.” Meta was named to NCOSE’s 2024 Dirty Dozen List of mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation, and was featured heavily in its 2025 Dirty Dozen List that focused on examples of sexual exploitation facilitated by Section 230.
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
