Meta is opening its doors to teenage users for Horizon Worlds in the United States and Canada, with a set of age-appropriate protections and safety defaults. The social VR platform was previously restricted to users 16 years of age and above.
(Photo : Meta Quest YouTube Channel)
Welcome to Horizon Worlds, a social experience where you can explore, play and create. With new worlds in the making, you can join together with people around the world in ever-expanding adventures and amazing experiences. Discover new places with friends, solve interactive puzzles or form teams to compete in action-packed games.
Teens' Horizon Worlds
In the upcoming weeks, teens aged 13-17 will soon be welcomed to Meta's Horizon Worlds VR Platform in the United States and Canada. According to a report from Engadget, there will be some extra features included to help provide teenagers with a safer experience on the platform.
Teens will now be allowed on the platform to play VR games like Arena Clash and Giant Mini Paddle Golf, participate in concerts and live comedy events, connect with friends around the world, and express themselves by creating their own virtual reality experience.
"This makes it crucial that we build age-appropriate, safe, and positive experiences for them in VR. Doing so is core to our responsible innovation principles and our commitment to building safer experiences for young people." Meta stated.
No further information was given by Meta regarding its release date but the company said that they are rolling out the Teens' Horizon World slowly to carefully examine usage as they take a phased approach before expanding broadly.
Customized Controls for Teens
Meta made sure that teens will have a safe space on the platform, especially since teens become fans of popular virtual experiences across the market. TechCrunch reported that the company invested in several features, including back-end protections and parental supervision features that can be set up by inviting their children through Meta's Family Center Offering.
Teens can choose who they follow and follow them back but their profiles will automatically be set to private as the default setting. This means they can easily decline or approve anyone before accepting them to their own virtual spaces.
The active status of teenage users and their Horizon Worlds location will not also be shown by default. However, all of these controls are customizable and can be changed as teens can choose whether their connections can see if they are active online.
Also Read: Meta 'Horizon Worlds' to Allow Children Ages 13 to 17 Use the Platform-Are There Safeguards?
Content ratings will also be sued to ensure them having an age-appropriate experience. As per the announcement from its Newsroom, Meta gave an example of teens will be prevented from finding, seeing, or entering spaces with mature content through the mature world and event ratings feature. Worlds that violate this policy will be removed from the platform.
Lastly, Meta will transform the voices of users in the age bracket when interacting with someone. Their voices will be garbled so people will not know if they can hear them. Adding to this is limiting the interaction between teens and adults by not displaying adults in the "People You Might Know" list on a teen's platform.
Related Article: Senators Ask Meta to 'Halt' its 'Horizon Worlds' Rollout for Teens to Access, Citing Safety Concerns
