On June 14, Meta announced the launch of parental control feature for all of its Quest VR headsets and Instagram, which will give parents and guardians control over what the underage users see and purchase on the said platforms.
The parental control feature will also allow them to know how long the children have been online.
Meta Launches Parental Controls
The parental control feature is not new. According to CNET, it was first introduced by Meta in March for Instagram.
The feature allows parents and guardians to limit how long children get to be online, check the accounts they follow and review the accounts that follow them.
Now, the social media company is expanding the feature to VR headsets and is adding new resources.
On Instagram, parents can now check the content of the accounts that their children blocked or reported. For VR headsets, parents and guardians can approve or deny download and purchases of games and accessories and block apps that they deem inappropriate for underage users.
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They can also check the list of their child's Quest friends to ensure they aren't talking to dangerous people online.
The parental control feature will also have a "nudge" option to encourage children to take a break if they've been online for hours.
This feature is currently available in the United States, but it will soon be rolled out in Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, France, and Germany in the next few days.
Meta plans to release the feature worldwide by the end of 2022, according to TechCrunch.
How to Use the Parental Control on Quest VR Headset
To use the parental control on Quest VR Headset, parents will need to link to their child's Facebook account.
Meta stated that children under 13 years old are not allowed to use the Quest VR headset, and people under 18 can't access "Horizon Worlds."
Once the accounts are linked, the parents can view all the apps their child has downloaded and their Quest friends list.
They can also block specific apps and block the Link, and Air Link features to protect their child from playing games with random strangers online.
How to Use the Parental Control on Instagram
To use parental control on Instagram, parents need to make sure that the Instagram account of their child is set to private to make sure that only their followers can see their posts.
Next, go to Settings and tap "Restricted Account." They can now check their child's friend list, posts, and comments.
Meta's Lawsuits
The rollout of the parental control feature came after Meta was accused of not doing enough to protect the mental and emotional well-being of its underage users.
As of June, the social media company is facing eight federal lawsuits, according to Business Insider.
The lawsuits allege that the company deliberately design and used addictive psychological tactics to entice and hook underage users, despite their awareness that their platforms are causing serious problems with their users' mental health.
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Written by Sophie Webster
