“I think it mirrors the adoption and usage trends of things like the Nintendo Wii, especially when it comes to affordable Quest headsets,” Gebbie said. “It’s an affordable gadget that you can buy for your family and give to your kids.”
Horizon still has its adult fans, but kids aren’t okay in their eyes. On Reddit, you can find thread after thread of people complaining that their kids are ruining the atmosphere in virtual spaces like VR chat. Or listen to horror stories of children finding themselves in creepy situations where they were exposed to bullying and harassment from other children, or more concerned adults.
Higgin said this friction is unique to social spaces that include a wide range of ages, because children have different ways of relating to and interacting with the world than adults. “And in a space like this, it’s hard for any adult to tolerate that,” he says. “The whole thing was just swarmed, everyone talking at the same time, shouting memes. Meta may not have a choice here. This is the worst takeover of virtual digital space by kids I can think of. It may be the first of its kind.”
In 2018, Bailenson co-authored a report with child advocacy organization Common Sense Media that offered advice to parents concerned about their children’s experiences with VR. This encourages keeping VR usage sessions short, taking advantage of parental content management, and most importantly, continuing to participate in, or at least monitor, what children are doing in the virtual world. Masu.
“They are anonymous and their actions cannot be seen by their parents like on regular TV or video games, and there are no physical consequences that their actions could have on them in the real world.” says Beilenson. “Those three factors are what make much of this behavior possible.”
playground rules
Really, kids are doing childish things. Run around, play with bubble guns and interactive objects, chat with friends, and make new ones. Many of the children in Horizon Worlds are friendly and are quick to run up to other users to wave and say hello. In the derivative room, we play games such as tag and floor is mule. Many areas of Horizon’s common rooms feel like veritable playgrounds, filled with laughter, screams, and the occasional shriek of adolescent rage. Children’s stuff!
However, there is also a dark side to the Metaverse. Take a leisurely tour of Horizon, and while it may seem like a comic book wonderland, you’ll find that the seedy side of humanity begins to emerge. And experts have criticized the platform and Meta for its sometimes lax approach to policing the virtual space. After all, the company doesn’t have a great track record of protecting children or their privacy on Facebook. Nor is Meta all that interested in increasing its own transparency.
