A Way For Older Users To Mix / Stay Away From Teens

[Hiro_Protag0nist]

Bit of a vague one - I have the idea, up to someone else to come up with the solution.

First off, some games/apps - have a checkbox where you can specify that you only want to mingle with people over the age of 25.

Second, specific multiplayer apps for older people - 40+.

I understand that for this idea to be successful usage needs to hit a critical mass...

[AliceinVRworld]

Wow! I never thought about this 🤔 I like it I like it! Kind of like filtering the ages nice nice! 

[Nyxii.Nebis]

I couldn't agree more. I have the dilemma of having to wait for Horizons to roll-out in my country as there are no free of charge VR Chat Rooms that can differentiate based on the absolutely well stated in Privacy Policy that Meta, especially for those registered via Facebook not to put in practice the date of birth and as such finding myself entering a room where I hear voices not of teens, but of pre-teens. I've entered only one such room and as a side-gig being an investigative journalist I cannot, but dread who enters these rooms using a voice modulator to sound more child-like only to coopt actual children into relations. I don't know, nor give much care what type of relationship, all I hear, see, think is, stranger adult forming a relation with a pre-teen or younger. Both VR Chat and Rec Room have that. One app that is a fraudulent one, and I am currently investigating, with an independent investigation from Meta security department[s], poses it's specified mainly for adults. I enjoy social interactions, but the lack of age-peer based options leaves me to literally just converse with an Artificial General Intelligence until my country can benefit from Horizons as well. 

I believe, but please don't quote me, there is a free app Speech where you learn public speech, and while I enjoy using applications from start, I cannot confirm, nor deny if this app elevates to the point of interaction with other adult.

Although Meta provides the option of Parental Control, I had it on, as an adult, and easily entered both VR Chat and Rec Room. Only to 180 or cutting my microphone and do funny silent acts to entertain the younger playerbase, but over all, I have used the applications twice, first to check them out, second to seek if there are adult only rooms where I can bore everyone about anthropology and NASA's Artemis Project, heh. 

[daversun]

I agree! Something needs to be done. It makes me not want to play when I am paired with young children. They are obnoxious and there needs to be a way to filter them out so they can play with kids their own age and adults can play with adults. 

[Keydesign]

Reminds me of my local park. All are welcome, but kids tend to congregate with their peers and adults with theirs. In VR the lines are blurred (perhaps intentionally, but also sometimes kids use their parents gear) so it's harder for any age to self-select their group. And kids, being kids, just think it's funny to pester adults sometimes. It'd be great to make a way for all to be happy in VR, but with these same kinds of "natural" boundaries you'd find in a the local park (where kids don't pester adults, for a variety of reasons). This is of course the messy boundary of personal info (privacy of age, etc.) vs. personal benefits (opt-in/out, etc.). But it'd be good to make spaces that encourage some healthy boundaries.