UK regulator questions Meta over child safety in VR

Meta is facing more scrutiny over its child safety efforts. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) told The Guardian in a statement that it was planning further discussions with Meta over whether the Quest 2 VR headset complies with its recently established children’s guidelines.

UK regulators want to determine whether Meta's headsets and VR services adequately protect children's privacy and data, fearing that children can easily access Meta's platform and are at risk of abuse, harassment and explicit content.

Meta's platform reportedly requires a Facebook account (users must be at least 13 years old) to use, but this does not mean a proper age check, and children can enter by simply ticking the "I am 13 years old or older" option.

IT Home learned that a Meta spokesperson told The Guardian that the company is committed to building a platform that respects children and "believes" that its VR hardware meets the requirements. The representative stressed that the terms of service do not allow children under 13 to use the product, but did not address concerns that children ignore the policy. The company has pledged a $50 million plan to ensure that its Metaverse development complies with laws and regulations.