Meta Launches New Parental Control Tools to Make VR Safer
Niko Pajkovic — June 14, 2022 — Tech
References: about.facebook & mashable
Meta, formerly Facebook, has announced the launch of a new set of parental control tools geared towards ensuring the new and nascent world of virtual reality is safe for children and teens.
Launched today, the new tools will allow parents and guardians to view their children's screen time hours and friend lists as well as block specific apps and browsers. In addition, the new suite will enable parents to switch off the ability to use the Meta's 'Link' and 'Air Link' features, which are offered on Quest-branded headsets. As a result, parents will now have better control over their children's experience virtual reality, which otherwise can be a difficult space to manage given its intangible nature.
"With VR technologies increasingly gaining traction, and the Quest becoming a favorite product of many youth, parents and guardians will now have access to a suite of tools to safeguard and stay involved with their teen's participation and experiences," said Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center.
Image Credit: Meta
Launched today, the new tools will allow parents and guardians to view their children's screen time hours and friend lists as well as block specific apps and browsers. In addition, the new suite will enable parents to switch off the ability to use the Meta's 'Link' and 'Air Link' features, which are offered on Quest-branded headsets. As a result, parents will now have better control over their children's experience virtual reality, which otherwise can be a difficult space to manage given its intangible nature.
"With VR technologies increasingly gaining traction, and the Quest becoming a favorite product of many youth, parents and guardians will now have access to a suite of tools to safeguard and stay involved with their teen's participation and experiences," said Dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center.
Image Credit: Meta
Trend Themes
1. Virtual Reality Safety - Opportunity for innovative parental control tools to make virtual reality safer for children and teens.
2. Parental Control Tools - Demand for virtual reality parental control tools that offer features such as screen time tracking, friend list monitoring and ability to block certain apps and browsers.
3. Virtual Reality Management - Need for managing virtual reality experiences from a parental perspective leads to development of new tools and technologies.
Industry Implications
1. Virtual Reality Industry - The introduction of parental control tools offers an opportunity for companies in the virtual reality industry to expand their product lines and improve their reputation for safety and security for young users.
2. Software Development Industry - Development of advanced virtual reality parental controls creates opportunities for software companies to capitalize on the growing market for safety and security in virtual reality.
3. Consumer Electronics Industry - Incorporating advanced parental control features into virtual reality hardware options creates opportunities for electronics manufacturers to appeal to safety-conscious parents and caregivers.
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