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Meta Platforms launched its latest generation mixed reality headset, the Quest 3, earlier this month. The Mark Zuckerberg-led company, which currently dominates the market for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality devices, is now lowering the minimum age for Meta Quest account users from 13 years to 10 years. With the latest development, parents can set up parent-managed Meta accounts for children aged 10 and 12 years on Meta’s Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets, starting later this year. Meta says it will not show ads to users in this age group. Also, apps that are rated safe for kids will be recommended.
The Facebook parent company, via a blog post on Friday, announced that parents will be able to set up accounts for Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3 headsets for their children in the age group of 10 years to 12 years, starting later this year. The company underlines that preteens will be required to get their parent’s approval to set up an account and download apps onto the virtual reality headsets.
Meta will use children’s ages to “provide age-appropriate experiences” across its app store like recommending age-appropriate apps. Even though the age limit is slashed, parents are promised to get control over the apps their kids download from the Meta Quest Platform. Also, they would be able to block access to apps at any time, says Meta.
Addressing the concerns of parents, Meta says parents will be able to set time limits for the use of headsets by kids and schedule breaks from devices. There will be options to cast the VR experiences to a phone or TV screen that would allow parents to monitor what their preteens are viewing while they’re using the headset.
Additionally, Meta profiles of kids aged between 10 and 12 years are promised to be set to private by default. This functionality would block unknown people from following preteens without their or their parent’s approval. Active Status and current app usage by this age group will also be hidden from others by default, unless their parent choose to allow this information to be shared. Further, preteens won’t be able to change default privacy and safety settings.
Ads will not appear for participants in this age group. Parents can choose whether their child’s data can be used to improve the company’s services. Also, parents will be able to delete their child’s account and related user details, added Meta.
Meta revealed that it is working with the developer community to add more age-appropriate apps and games onto the Meta Quest Platform for this age group. As of now, Meta’s social virtual reality app, Horizon Worlds will be accessible to people aged above 13 years in the US and Canada. In Europe, users aged above 18 years can access it.