Meta yesterday made a significant decision that is bound to attract attention and spark discussions. In an effort to accommodate younger users and address concerns surrounding age restrictions, Meta has lowered the minimum age requirement for its popular Quest virtual reality (VR) headsets from 13 to 10 years old. This move comes at a time when government scrutiny of tech companies’ handling of underage users is intensifying, with numerous bills in Congress aiming to grant regulators greater authority and potentially even ban children under 13 from accessing social media platforms altogether.

According to the blog post, parents will now need to approve the creation of a child’s account, and Meta will only recommend applications that are deemed safe for the corresponding age group. Importantly, ads will not be shown to children using the platform.

The aspect garnering significant attention is the privacy settings implemented for 10 to 12-year-old users. By default, their Meta profiles and avatars, which are utilized across various applications on the Quest, will be set to private. This means that preteens will not be followed by anyone without their explicit approval or that of their parents. The blog post emphasizes that parents alone possess the ability to deactivate this safety feature. Notably, Horizon Worlds, the open-world social platform within the Quest, will remain limited to users aged 13 and above, at least for the time being.

Meta’s decision to lower the age restriction reflects an understanding of the growing demand among children for VR headsets. Rather than allowing youngsters to misrepresent their age and potentially gain unrestricted access, Meta aims to provide a more controlled experience. By offering an option specifically tailored for underage users, complete with robust parental controls, Meta can assert its commitment to safety and responsibility.

While this decision may appear logical from Meta’s perspective, the company is well aware of the sensitivity surrounding this topic, which is likely to draw criticism and possibly prompt scrutiny from lawmakers. To prevent premature disclosure, Meta took significant measures internally, codenaming the initiative “Project Salsa” and requiring involved employees to sign separate legal disclosures while designating related documents as “A/C privilege” in case the FTC were to investigate the matter.