According to Metablog, Meta will increase efforts to lure younger people to its VR experience through new games and creation capabilities in its next push for the broader metaverse campaign. This will hopefully draw a whole new audience to its widely recognized virtual world.
In this regard, Meta has just revealed that users between the ages of 13 and 17 will now be able to access its Horizon Worlds VR sandbox application.
As per Meta: “Until now, Worlds has been limited to those 18 and up, but Meta Quest is rated 13+, so we’re excited to begin opening Worlds to teens ages 13 to 17 in the US and Canada in the coming weeks with a robust set of age-appropriate protections and safety defaults.
Now, teens will be able to explore immersive worlds, play games like Arena Clash and Giant Mini Paddle Golf, enjoy concerts and live comedy events, connect with others from around the world, and express themselves as they create their own virtual experiences.”
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Meta’s Family Center for Worlds will give parents increased control over their children’s virtual reality experiences by allowing them to keep track of who their children are engaging with and what they are doing.
Additionally, Meta already has its personal boundary tools that limit how other VR avatars can communicate with one another, and it is currently rolling out some expanded protection tools for teenagers in particular. These tools include default restrictions on active status and location, as well as a new Voice Mode that will mask avatar voices.
While Meta’s VR experience currently contains some incredible VR experiences and elements, it is not as responsive or engaging as it could be. This is in part because the experience is not yet complete.
Meta new Setting unlocked (default) – Parent’s view
Setting unlocked (default) – Teen’s view
Setting locked – Teen requesting for parent’s permission
Setting locked – Parent approving teen’s request to change
The situation will only get better, though, and perhaps with time with steady support from younger users, the metaverse will eventually gain importance among younger populations. This could be a big development in Meta’s larger intentions, but we’ll have to wait and see.
