Meta Discuss Children's VR Saftey

[kevinw729]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59937610

[Zenbane]

If parents let their kids use VR unmonitored, then it poses the same risks as letting a child use the Internet unmonitored. Nothing really new here.

[mindragon]

It’s a cop out to say it’s intended for 13+ as a way to avoid dealing with internet safety. We bought this for our kids. They are only allowed to play in the living room so we can hear their headsets. Most of the time they have to mute because of the vile language coming out of older player’s mouths. There should be some community standards. Even as an adult I don’t need a slew of f-bombs in my headset when trying to enjoy a game.

[Zenbane]

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@mindragon wrote:

It’s a cop out to say it’s intended for 13+ as a way to avoid dealing with internet safety. 

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I don't see much of an avoidance of dealing with Internet safety. That's not what is really happening. Also, it is a copout for parents to ignore Age Requirements and then blame someone else for the problem.

Kids are vile when playing games on all available gaming platforms. That is why there are age requirements, and why parents shouldn't let young kids play with strangers.

[Anonymous]

Internet Safety is a huge problem in the U.S. and other countries as well. It is about time our government got more involved in it and regulating more . It is a huge breeding ground for pedophiles and other unsavory characters like sex traffickers. 

And undoubtedly the so called Meta - Verse will be a breeding ground as well. Just a new area for them to play in.  The difference being there will be young children with headsets on without it being so obvious what is going on in that headset.

Facebook along with others involved need to take more action on this and yes governments need to get more involved as well.

[Zenbane]

Parents need to be the most involved and take the most responsibility. We cannot shift the task of raising children to government and corporate entities.

There are safety issues in every area of life. Such as leaving a toddler alone in a home, or leaving children alone in a running motor vehicle.

We can't shift blame for poor parental choices.

[kevinw729]

Thanks for an interesting observation.

As we know, State, Federal, and international lawmakers are incredibly sensitive regarding the issues surrounding minors. While the needs for parental control are raised, the demands for responsibility for corporate to abide by guidelines set or enforced is paramount. The active nature of recalls for items for children such as toys a case in point. Along with that the heightened sensitivity to the invasive and dangerous nature of some aspects of the internet and social media towards impressionable minds is also of concern.

This was always a concern, and was even discussed when the GearVR first rolled out - though at the time was dismissed as a reason for concern. It would seem that some in authority are taking this even more seriously. It will be interesting to see how far reaching this investigation will extend.

[Zenbane]

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@kevinw729 wrote:

the demands for responsibility for corporate to abide by guidelines set or enforced is paramount. 

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Exactly! Guidelines are what Government and Corporate Entities are responsible for doing to aid Parents in their responsibilities. If parents choose to ignore those guidelines (e.g. Ignore the minimum age requirement for VR), then we can't blame Government and Corporations for the result of that poor decision.

Which is why it makes no sense to refer to the VR Guidelines, "Ages 13 and above," as a "copout." It is not a copout. It is a guideline. 

[cmat100]

Hypothetical :- If my 13+ kids log on with their FB account,  they will have facebook messenger beamed into their retina - I can't see that.   How do I restrict that?   Demand their password?   When FB move beyond FB accounts for a H/W device,  they should be able to allow child....ahem....Oculus accounts........set up by the responsible parents Master account,   with errrr.........Parental controls.

Kids are ingenious little s****, sorry, darlings.

[Zenbane]

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@cmat100 wrote:

Hypothetical :- If my 13+ kids log on with their FB account,  they will have facebook messenger beamed into their retina - I can't see that.   How do I restrict that?   Demand their password?   When FB move beyond FB accounts for a H/W device,  they should be able to allow child....ahem....Oculus accounts........set up by the responsible parents Master account,   with errrr.........Parental controls.

Kids are ingenious little s****, sorry, darlings.

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Fair points. I would highlight 3 things though:

1. Messenger is a separate application that must be downloaded. It doesn't come default when downloading the Facebook App.
2. When a "stranger" (i.e. someone not on your Friend's List) tries to message you via Messenger, you will get a notification asking for permission to be messaged by that person. So you have to give someone permission to message you.
3. There are security controls on Facebook itself that prevent anyone outside of your Friend's List from messaging you at all. So you can completely block strangers from contacting you.

But to your point, kids are sneaky little buggers and can get around all of that. So parent's do need to be more actively involved.