Meta Faces Criticism Over Plans to Allow Minors into Horizon Worlds
Various groups have requested that Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's social media company, refrain from allowing minors into the metaverse.
On April 14, online safety experts and advocacy organizations sent a letter to the CEO of Meta, urging the company to cancel its plan to invite young adults and teenagers to participate in Horizon Worlds, the Metaverse app.
As stated in a Bloomberg report, the letter was signed by prominent safety groups like Common Sense Media, airplay, and the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
The activists contend that Meta must evaluate the risks of admitting minors to the metaverse since they are more susceptible to harassment and privacy breaches on the virtual reality app.
According to the letter, Meta must wait for further research on the dangers of the metaverse to ensure that children and adolescents are safe.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate’s March report indicated that minors under the age of 18 have already experienced abuse from adults on the app, including sexual harassment.
The safety experts argued that Meta should take new measures with its metaverse initiative to safeguard minors, saying that if the company allows minors access to the virtual world rather than taking precautions, it will show that it cannot be trusted to protect young people’s best interests.
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Meta first opened Horizon Worlds to users aged 18 and above in 2021, but it has since struggled to keep users interested in the platform.
According to Joe Osborne, a representative from Meta, Meta intends to introduce additional safeguards and tools to provide age-appropriate experiences for minors before making Horizon Worlds available to them.
Quest headsets are designed for people aged 13 and above. Parents and guardians are encouraged to use Meta’s parental supervision tools, including managing app access, to ensure that minors have safe experiences.
Alexander Stefanov
Reporter at CoinsPress
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