Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 virtual reality headset.
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Parents who bought their kids a virtual reality headset for Christmas may be in for a nasty surprise.
Oculus, the VR division of parent company Facebook Meta, likely to see sales spike during the holidays, with its main application taking the top spot in Apple App Store on Christmas Day.
But the Oculus Quest 2, the company’s most popular headset, doesn’t have the option to enable parental controls to allow responsible adults to block 18+ content and other material that could be harmful to children.
Other headsets, such as HTC’s Vive and Valve’s Indicator, also don’t include child safety features. Although HTC says its headset is not suitable for young children. Can set parental controls for Sony’s PlayStation VR via PS4 and PS5 consoles.
In addition to the possibility of children encountering unsafe materials, experts also worry too about the effects that VR can have on children’s eyes – although there is little data on this.
Meta has made VR a major focus of its business in a pivot to the so-called “metaverse”, a shared virtual world in which people can work, play, and interact with each other. together.
The company’s rebranding from Facebook has spurred renewed interest in VR, a technology that has long struggled to gain significant commercial traction.
Meta says its terms of service do not allow children under 13 to create accounts, and this information is included in the setup process. Meta adds that all Oculus content is evaluated through the International Age Rating Coalition.
The Dark Side of VR
The Center Against Digital Hate, a nonprofit that advocates for Big Tech companies to remove hate from their platforms, has found several cases of child abuse, harassment , racism and pornography in the popular chat room service VRChat, available on Oculus.
One clip shared by CCDH shows a user playing a recording praising child abuse, while another shows someone joking about being a “sex offender”. convicted” with a minor. The organization says VR headsets are not safe for children, regardless of parental controls.
Imran Ahmed, chief executive officer of CCDH, said the metaverse “is a haven of hate, pornography and child-grooming”, “connecting users not only to each other but also to a range of predators”. bait.”
He added: “Any parent giving away the Facebook Oculus VR headset for Christmas should be aware that they could be putting their child in serious danger.
Regarding VRChat, Meta spokeswoman Kristina Milian told CNBC that the app is a cross-platform app. “This means that at any given time, players connecting from Quest can interact with players connecting from other platforms”, like SteamVR or Microsoft Windows, she said.
Meta also said it will invest $50 million in global program and research partners to ensure its metaverse products are developed responsibly.
A spokesperson for the VRChat producer was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
What do parents think?
The Oculus Quest 2 setup process is quite simple and only takes a few minutes. Users must link their Facebook accounts, which requires them to be 13 or older. But there’s nothing stopping young children from using it, as long as they have access to their parent’s account.
Some parents told CNBC that they’re happy to let their kids use VR, as long as they have parental supervision. But they also expressed concern about the lack of parental controls in Oculus.
Matt Miller, a tech entrepreneur who founded software development company Ustwo, said he bought an Oculus headset for his 11- and 13-year-olds.
“We wanted the kids to have something they could show their friends when they arrived,” he said. “I like the idea that they can learn about places they’ve never been before.”
But Miller and partner Lisa think Meta should introduce the ability to filter what children can see in Oculus, a sentiment echoed by other parents.
Eric Berry, a software engineer based in Saratoga Springs, Utah, said he was tempted to buy his kid an Oculus Quest 2, until he realized there were no parental controls. in the device.
“I hope they add them soon or else make their devices a parent’s worst nightmare,” Berry said on Twitter.
Still, Miller said VR is an “engrossing experience,” and his kids love playing games like rhythm action title Beat Saber and social game app Rec Room. “They just played the games we bought,” he added.
