On Wednesday, July 10, Meta has announced that users aged 10 to 12 will soon be able to interact with others in virtual reality (VR) with their parents’ approval. This marks a significant change, as children were previously unable to chat or interact with other users on the Quest platform.
The update will enable parents to add approved contacts for their children. These contacts can be used for chatting, calling, and sending or accepting invites to join parent-approved VR experiences. This change aims to familiarize younger users with VR technology, potentially making them more inclined to use it as they grow older. Additionally, this could help Meta compete with popular platforms like Roblox and Minecraft.
Parents will have control over their children’s contacts. Users will become approved contacts only after a parent adds them. Parents can manage these contacts by adding them to their child’s Following and Followers list. Children can request a follower to become an approved contact, and parents can delete an approved contact at any time.
Last year, Meta lowered the recommended age for using its Quest headset from 13 to 10 and introduced parent-managed accounts that provide age-appropriate VR experiences for users aged 10 to 12. Despite VR being a relatively new technology with some unknown risks, prompting child safety concerns from various groups, Meta is moving forward with this update.
Meta’s decision to integrate social features into children’s accounts on Quest comes amid increased pressure from Congress on social media companies like Meta, TikTok, and Snapchat to protect children on their platforms.
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