Meta has taken a significant step in expanding its Horizon Worlds virtual reality platform by allowing preteens to explore it, provided they use parent-managed accounts. This move comes with a suite of restrictions to ensure a safer experience for the young users.
The company announced that parents will soon have the ability to approve age-suitable virtual worlds for their preteens, aged 10 to 12, to explore. Some of the options include relaxing in The Space Station, delving into The Aquarium, or participating in the Spy School racing game. Preteens can express interest in particular worlds, or parents can pre-select those they deem appropriate from a curated list.
To bolster safety, Meta has rolled out a new rating system to denote the suggested age group for each virtual world: 10+, 13+, or 18+. This system simplifies the approval process for parents, allowing them to green-light all 10+ rated worlds at once, while blocking access to any 18+ rated ones. There are also measures to maintain privacy, such as disabling follower suggestions and setting the default status and visibility of preteen users to “offline,” unless the parents opt to change the settings.
Moreover, an essential safety feature, the “Personal Boundary,” is permanently enabled for young users’ avatars. This feature creates a virtual space of two feet around the avatar, ensuring no one can intrude into their personal space.
This update comes on the heels of Meta’s recent rollout, which allows parents to individually approve who their children can chat and interact with in VR experiences. Additionally, anyone using a Meta Quest 2 or 3 headset is now prompted to re-enter their birthdate for added security each time they use the device.
Since June 2023, preteens have had access to parent-managed accounts, offering greater parental oversight. Yet, despite these enhanced safety measures, there remains a layer of skepticism among some parents and guardians. Concerns linger regarding Meta’s track record with young users’ safety across its platforms.
Earlier this year, Meta was caught in controversy for its advertising practices, which allegedly targeted underage users with its messaging platforms. Internal documents from a lawsuit spearheaded by the New Mexico Department of Justice highlighted Meta’s awareness of inappropriate interactions between adults and minors. Furthermore, an additional lawsuit from 42 state attorneys in the U.S. accuses Meta of intentionally designing its products to captivate children, posing potential risks to their mental health.
