Meta has lowered the age limit for Quest accounts. Are these kids too young to experience VR?
Your 10 year old might love the Meta Quest headset. with your permission.
Meta announced last week that it allowed parents to create MetaQuest accounts for their children between the ages of 10 and 12, removing the previous 13+ age requirement. These parent-controlled accounts require preteens to obtain parental permission before they can download the app or accept follow requests, Mehta said.
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Parent-controlled meta accounts allow parents to create screen time limits. Parents can also see what their child sees when using the Quest headset with the cast feature that projects her child’s VR experience onto a phone or TV.
Mehta said the company doesn’t use preteen data to target ads, but collects data to “deliver age-appropriate experiences.”
Parents can choose whether Meta analyzes their child’s data to create such experiences, and when an account is deleted, all data associated with their child’s account will also be deleted.
not yet, Meta collects data Information about children ages 10-12, such as location information and photos and audio content we receive from the child’s device. Parents must consent to Meta’s collection of this information in order to comply with U.S. child privacy laws.
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Meta’s open-world VR experience, Meta Horizon Worlds, is still not available to children under the age of 13 to reduce the chance of coming into contact with predators.
However, it is unclear how prolonged exposure to VR affects the developing eyes and brains of preteens, and these eyes and brains continue to develop until they reach their mid-to-late 20s. .
Meta’s Oculus Safety Center recommends that children under the age of 13 not use the Meta VR system, as “younger children are at greater risk of injury and adverse effects than older users.”
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Last month, the U.S. Surgeon General released recommendations detailing how long-term social media use can affect the mental health and social development of preschoolers. The same advisory says that prolonged use of smartphones can affect the physical health of children under the age of 10 and pose a “significant risk” to this age group.
This recommendation is based on a lack of data to fully understand how social media and smartphone use adversely affect preteens, and research on the harm that widespread use of VR can cause. admits even less.
But as generative AI took over, the tech industry turned its attention away from the metaverse and invested in new technologies. Even Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg AI technology should take precedence over metaverse development.
again: US Surgeon General Releases Social Media Health Advisory for US Teens and Teenagers
So if the Metaverse isn’t what we imagined, why should kids be interested? social media today says Opening up the Metaverse and encouraging kids to head-up gear could be a long-term business move for Meta.
Kids today are addicted to games like Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft, and other open-world, customizable universes. Meta recognizes that adults are not its target audience, and may have greater success in bringing VR-based games and social connections into the next generation.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/meta-lowered-the-age-limit-for-quest-accounts-are-these-kids-too-young-for-exploring-vr/#ftag=RSSbaffb68 Meta has lowered the age limit for Quest accounts. Are these kids too young to experience VR?
