HTC may finally have the solution to VR's child safety problem. As more children enter the VR platforms and use headsets like Oculus Quest 2, the more they are exposed to chats that are deemed harmful.
Harassment in the metaverse is one of its main problems. Luckily, HTC's Vive Guardian feature is a small step in fixing that as it limits access to apps while in-headset.
HTC Vive Guardian Feature
The launch of the Vive Guardian is HTC's way of acknowledging that children are going to be in VR, even if they do not recommend it. HTC only suggests VR for over 13 years of age, and safety settings need to exist.
Shen Ye, HTC's Global Head of Hardware Products, told CNET that parents are already letting their children use VR. Ye said that they know it is unavoidable, and they still want to make sure that there are restrictions to protect children online.
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As for Meta, despite having a VR headset that people under 13 years old are increasingly using, it has not introduced any kid-specific safety features for its VR headsets beyond an ability for users to monitor content seen in VR on a connected phone.
In an interview in 2021, Mark Zuckerberg told CNET that he does not see VR being addressed for children anytime soon.
How Does the Vive Guardian Feature Work?
The Vive Guardian feature can be seen in the kiosk mode that HTC made for its Vive Focus 3 VR headset, according to Tom's Hardware. Although the headset is business-focused, it can also be used in public places for demos and other things.
When the feature is activated, apps can be blocked from use. It will be disappeared from access, and PIN codes will be set up in order to control any unwanted purchases or access to apps, according to Engadget.
Also, there is streaming and monitoring of VR content to a connected phone, like Meta's Oculus Quest 2 already does. Still, HTC will also activate a mode where individual pieces of content like videos can be streamed to the headset on-demand as well.
While the Vive Guardian does not seem to allow for true kid accounts, the feature works just like a profile. The next step is to enable clearer safety settings in open social apps like VRChat, AltSpace VR, Meta's Horizon Worlds, and Rec Room.
While HTC is not enabling that level of in-app safety, HTC's Shen Ye said that the tech company is building out better guidelines for developers on how apps are created and listed.
Ye admits that Vive Guardian is just the start of better safety measures. He said that it is the first step for the company, and they want to make sure that they can create a safe metaverse environment for children.
The downside is that the Vive Guardian only works on certain Android phones, particularly Vive VR devices. HTC has largely moved away from consumer VR headsets until recently.
The feature will work on the Vive Focus and Vive Focus Plus, HTC's previous standalone VR headsets, and the Vive Flow, a more experimental phone-connected pair of VR glasses HTC released in 2021.
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Written by Sophie Webster
