Meta announced on Wednesday that users ages 10 to 12 will be able to interact with others in VR with parental permission. Previously, kids weren't able to chat or interact with others on Quest.
In upcoming updates, Meta will add the ability for parents to individually add approved contacts that their children can chat with or call, as well as send and accept invitations to join parent-approved VR experiences.
Meta hopes that opening up its VR experience to kids will make younger users more comfortable with the technology and more likely to use it as they get older, and it could also help the company compete with other games like Roblox and Microsoft's Minecraft, which are popular among younger users.
Meta explains that users can only become approved contacts if a parent adds them. Parents can manage approved contacts by adding them to their child's following and following lists. Children can request that their followers become approved contacts, and parents can remove approved contacts at any time.
Last year, Meta lowered the recommended age for its Quest headset from 13 to 10. The company then launched parent-managed accounts that allow users between the ages of 10 and 12 to enjoy age-appropriate VR experiences on Quest.
VR is a relatively new technology and the risks associated with its use are still largely unknown, raising concerns about child safety among parents, rights groups and researchers.
Meta's decision to introduce social features to Quest child accounts comes as Congress increases pressure on social media companies like Meta, TikTok and Snapchat to protect children on their platforms.