Meta expands Horizon Worlds to preteens with parental controls

To gain access to Horizon Worlds, preteens must have a parent-managed Meta account

Tech Desk - Aug 29, 2024

An undated image of Horizon Worlds characters. — Meta

Meta has announced extending the access of Horizon Worlds to preteen users aged 10-12 years with parental supervision on Wednesday. Horizon Worlds is a renowned Meta-owned 3D social platform for online virtual reality (VR) games.

Previously, the platform was restricted to children under 12 years as a precautionary measure by the parent company to limit preteens’ exposure to potentially sensitive content.

While the 3D platform now rolls out to select younger audiences, parents will have control over what experiences their preteens can access.

These experiences will get age ratings to help parents determine which ones are appropriate for their children. Meta will rate experiences as appropriate for ages 10 and up, ages 13 and up, and ages 18 and up.

Here’s how to access Horizon Worlds

To gain access to Horizon Worlds, a preteen must have a parent-managed Meta account and request access permission to use Horizon Worlds.
Once a parent has approved, preteens can request access to individual experiences.

Safety measures

Moreover, Meta has also set a few other protections for preteens.

For instance, the voice chat is disabled for Meta accounts managed by parents. However, parents can allow voice chat with certain contacts only.
Similarly, Preteens will be shown as offline by default unless a parent changes the settings.
Also, Horizon Worlds’ personal boundary feature will be activated on parent-managed accounts to prevent other users from invading the virtual space.

Initially, Horizon Worlds was available in VR only, but the platform has now extended to include some features that will be accessible from the Meta Horizon mobile app.

Through this initiative, the company aims to ensure a safe, age-appropriate environment for younger audiences.