Senators Ask Meta to ‘Halt’ its ‘Horizon Worlds’ Rollout for Teens to Access, Citing Safety Concerns

The plans to allow teenagers to access the "Horizon Worlds" virtual world is coming soon for all, but it is now facing two Senators pleading to Meta against this expanded access to younger age groups. The two US Senators, Richard Blumenthal, and Edward Mackey cited their concerns on Meta's eligibility for teenagers, mentioning their safety and well-being.

Since its beta availability in the market, Meta set up an age wall for access to it virtual world for those who are of legal age only, but there are reported plans for its expansion for teenagers to access.

Meta Faces Senators' Plea Against 'Horizon Worlds' for Teens' Access

Senators Richard Blumenthal and Edward Mackey penned a letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg which details their sentiments against "Horizon Worlds" upcoming availability to teenagers. Their joint statement both centers on stopping this rollout for teenagers effective immediately, citing the previous shortcomings of the company for teens' online safety.

"In light of your company's record of failure to protect children and teens and a growing body of evidence pointing to threats to young users in the metaverse, we urge you to halt this plan immediately," says the Senators.

The Senators centered on the controversies behind other Meta apps including Facebook and Instagram which have issues concerning adolescent and teen usage that affected their mental health, or are in danger as strangers may freely contact them.

Meta previously updated Instagram and Facebook regarding these problems, as per its blog posts in the past.

When is Meta Opening 'Horizon Worlds' Access to Teens?

There are no confirmations as to when Meta would bring teenagers aged 13 to 17 to access "Horizon Worlds," as the company has no official announcements of when it would arrive.

According to CNET, the eligibility for teenagers to access the virtual world may arrive this month.

Meta and its 'Horizon Worlds,' Metaverse

Meta is gunning strong for its development of the metaverse and the company aims to deliver a new virtual world for the public to enjoy, also using its Quest equipment in the process. "Horizon Worlds" is Meta's first take on a social virtual world that offers numerous experiences and connections, one which opened its public access last December 2021.

Since then, people enjoyed the gateway to the metaverse in connecting with friends, families, and people they met online from this experience from Meta.

There was also a specific security update added before, and it is enabling one's Safety Bubble to avoid getting groped or harassed in the virtual world.

Despite Meta's safety perimeters set in the social world, it still faces concerns from the Senators who ask to stop the access for teenagers, citing their previous issues with Instagram and Facebook for teens' mental health.

For now, there are no responses from Meta regarding their stopping of this availability for the younger audience, and no confirmations of when this would arrive.