Meta is facing more scrutiny in their children’s safety. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) told the Guardian in a statement that it was planning further discussions with Meta about whether the Quest 2 VR headset complies with the recently established Children’s Code.
UK regulators want to determine whether Meta’s headsets and VR services are adequate to protect children’s privacy and data, fearing that children could easily log into Meta’s platform and risk abuse, harassment and explicit content.
Meta’s platform reportedly requires a Facebook account (users are at least 13 years old) to use, but that doesn’t mean a reasonable age check, and kids just have to tick the “I’m over 13” option to get in.
A spokesperson for Meta told The Guardian that the company is committed to building platforms that respect children and “believes” its VR hardware is compliant. The representative stressed that the terms of service do not allow children under the age of 13 to use the product, but did not address concerns of children neglecting the policy.
The company has committed to a $50 million program to ensure its Metaverse development complies with laws and regulations.