“Especially for the affordable Quest headsets, I think they've mirrored the journey of adoption and usage of things like the Nintendo Wii,” Gaby says. “The kind of affordable gadget you buy as a family thing that you give to your kids.”
Horizon still has adult fans, and in their eyes, kids aren't okay. You can find thread after thread on Reddit of people complaining about kids ruining virtual space activities like VR chat. Or hear horror stories about children getting caught up in bizarre situations – becoming victims of bullying or harassment by other children or, more worryingly, by adults.
Higgin says this friction is typical of social spaces that include different age groups, because children have a different way of relating and interacting with the world than adults. “And in these places, it becomes hard for any adult to bear it,” he says. “The whole crowd around, and everyone talking together, and just yelling memes. Meta may have no choice here. “This may be the first case of children taking over virtual digital space that I can think of.”
In 2018, Bailenson co-wrote a report With children's advocacy organization Common Sense Media, which offers advice to parents who are concerned about what their children experience in VR. It encourages keeping VR use sessions short, using parental content controls, and, most importantly, participating in or at least keeping an eye on what their child is doing in their virtual world. .
“They're anonymous, their parents can't see what they're doing like normal TV or video games, and there's no physical consequence to their actions in the real world,” says Bailenson. “That trifecta is what is enabling much of this behavior.”
playground rules
-GEAR.jpg)
However, in reality, children are acting like children. Running around, playing with bubble guns and interactive objects, chatting with friends and making new friends. Many of the children at Horizon Worlds are friendly, and will run right up to other users to wave or say hello. In the offshoot room, they play games like tag or floor-is-lava. Many areas in the shared Horizon rooms feel like a playground, echoing with the laughter, shouting and sometimes angry screams of teenagers. Kids stuff!
But the metaverse also has a weakness. Spend enough time wandering around Horizon, and though it may seem like a cartoon wonderland, you'll definitely see the seedy side of humanity emerging. And Experts have criticized The platform and Meta sometimes have a reportedly lax approach to monitoring their virtual spaces. After all, the company's track record isn't great protect children on facebook or their privacyNor is the meta interested in it Developing your own transparency,