Meta finally adds parental supervision tools in its VR headset

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Meta is bringing parental supervision tools to its Meta Quest VR headsets, almost three years after the first release. Three years! Now, concerned parents can limit what can be accessed on the headsets, but the features aren’t quite ready yet.

Instead, parents will have to wait as Meta gradually rolls out its supervision tools. The first feature will be an expansion of the existing unlock pattern, starting in April.

In its current form, pattern unlock only works when the headset is first accessed. Meta is going to make it so you can set unlock patterns for specific apps.

READ MORE: How to switch from a Facebook to Meta account on Quest

In May, Meta says it will start age-gating apps in the Quest app store. Teens 13+ won’t be able to download age-inappropriate apps, as determined by the International Age Rating Coalition.

READ MORE: How to check if your PC meets the requirements for a VR headset

However, parents will be able to unblock individual apps if they trust their teen’s maturity levels.

Also in May, Meta’s suite of parental supervision tools will appear. Parent Dashboard lives in the Oculus mobile app and provides controls for blocking specific apps, access to Link or Air Link, and things like screen time statistics. It will also show any purchases the teen makes.

It’s a good start for Meta, who doesn’t exactly have the best track record on limiting harm to teens. Parental controls are only as good as the parent using them; so it remains to be seen how well they work once available.

Have any thoughts on this? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.