Safeguarding the Metaverse: Children in VR
To truly safeguard the metaverse we need to understand the harms users are exposed to. And that means all users – whatever age groups they are in, adults and children. While Virtual Reality – VR – is often perceived as a family entertainment device, most consumer headsets have a lower user age limit of either 12 or 13. This is written into the manufacturer’s terms and conditions, with the main way of enforcement being through the linking of the headset to an online account elsewhere (e.g., a Facebook account), in which the user’s date of birth has already been required. However, there’s consensus among industry experts and researchers that the lower age limit is not widely adhered to. At present VR headsets are covered by the UK ICO’s Children’s Code, which requires organisations providing…