Meta is taking steps to allow preteens, with accounts managed by their parents, to explore different experiences on its online VR platform, Horizon Worlds, but there are some carefully set boundaries.
Meta recently shared that parents will soon have the ability to give their preteens, ranging from ages 10 to 12, access to certain age-appropriate worlds. These include engaging places like The Space Station and The Aquarium, or they can indulge in the thrill of the Spy School racing game. Kids can either ask for specific worlds they wish to visit, or parents can sift through a list and decide which ones to permit them.
To further ensure safety, Meta has introduced extra protective measures. There’s a rating system now — 10+, 13+, or 18+ — helping clearly identify which VR worlds suit younger users. This allows parents, with just one decision, to approve all 10+ rated worlds, automatically blocking visibility of any 18+ content for preteens. Moreover, features like follower suggestions are off, and the default status for kids is set to “offline,” preventing them from appearing online to others unless parents decide otherwise.
Furthermore, there’s a “Personal Boundary” setting that now cannot be disabled. This creates a two-virtual-foot buffer around avatars, effectively preventing others from getting too close.
This move comes after Meta introduced a feature allowing parents to approve specific contacts their children can chat with and invite to VR experiences. In a related update, anyone using a Meta Quest 2 or 3 headset is prompted to confirm their birthday again before using the device.
Since June 2023, these parent-managed accounts have been available for preteens. Nevertheless, some parents and guardians might still have doubts about Meta’s capability to protect their young ones, given the past criticisms of the company’s efforts to shield this age group on its platforms.
Earlier this year, troubling details surfaced about Meta promoting its messaging services to underage users, despite being aware of the exchange of inappropriate content between adults and children, as noted in internal documents linked to a lawsuit by the New Mexico Department of Justice. Another lawsuit by 42 state attorneys in the U.S. claims that Meta intentionally crafted its products to captivate children, a practice believed to harm their mental health.
