Meta released its first virtual reality headsets in May of 2019.
All eyes are on Meta as it tries to prove that its investments in virtual reality were worth changing its name over. Meta is trying to make its platforms safer for kids by rolling out a variety of parental supervision tools.
In the two weeks following Christmas Day, the estimates show that the mobile companion app was downloaded two million times. The lack of parental controls became more glaring as Meta's headset became more popular. The U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office applied added pressure by suggesting that the headset could violate the safety code for online children.
Meta is the image credit.
Users can set up an unlocked pattern on their headsets to gain access to their device. In April, Meta said it would extend this to specific apps. If a parent doesn't want their child playing a certain game on a shared headset, they can set a specific unlock code for that app.
Meta plans to add a feature in May that will block teens from using the platform to download apps that are inappropriate for their age group. If a young teen is using an account associated with their parent's login, this defense may not be effective.
Meta will continue to build out its suite of parental controls over the coming months. Through the mobile apps, parents will be able to access a Parent Dashboard, which allows them to link their child's account.
The company opened a Family Center to organize its resources.
Meta is the image credit.
The process is initiated by the teen and both the parent and teen have to agree to it.
Parents who feel more comfortable using a mobile app than a virtual reality headset may want to house these supervision tools in a mobile app. For example, a parent could pre-authorize their teen's account to download any all-ages apps, if they chose to do so through the mobile dashboard. The parent can approve or deny a teen's request to purchase an app. The web browser and Link can be blocked by the parent if the child is using them. Parents can see their child's screen time, friends list and downloaded apps.
Younger children will inevitably find their way into virtual reality, even though the headsets are intended for users 13 and up. Two of Meta's social virtual reality apps are gated by age for teens.
Only in the welcome plaza are there any humans present, but their job is more geared towards helping users who might have questions about how to take a selfies in the metaverse.
Meta’s Oculus VR companion app gained ~2M downloads since Christmas
Horizon Worlds has been used for under-developed moderation systems. Meta's content moderation system said that it didn't violate guidelines, despite the fact that it created a test world filled with banned content. Users reported being groped and sexually harassed on the platform. This kind of harassment can feel intense in a virtual world, even though it takes place on text-based web forums. Meta has instituted an optional personal boundary feature in an attempt to curb this behavior.
Meta was asked if it could gate users under the age of 18 from accessing apps likeHorizon Worlds, since many users reported that the platform is already overrun with children.
Today marks the first step on a longer journey and we plan to add more options over time, according to a Meta representative. If a parent has the knowledge and foresight to keep their children off the 18+ platform, app-specific unlocks can be a solution.
If parents and teens use parental controls well, they will be effective.
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