Tweens will be able to access Meta Horizon Worlds under the new age classification of the worlds

Aug. 29 (Portaltic/EP) –

Meta has announced the implementation of an age rating system in the Horizon Worlds virtual worlds that will allow pre-teens to access the app with parental permission.

The technology company has announced additional controls on accounts for families managed by parents, through which in the coming months they will be able to allow children between 10 and 12 years old to access the application.

This application has introduced an age classification system that will help identify the most suitable worlds for each audience, based on three categories: 10+, 13+ and 18+, as Meta reports in its Official Blog. Ranking also affects the publishing of content, worlds, or events.

The first category allows access to users aged 10 and over, and in the worlds classified as such, you can find moderate language, minimally suggestive themes and cartoons, fantasy or mild violence.

Teens between the ages of 13 and 17 can also access worlds rated 13+. In this case, worlds may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and infrequent use of strong language.

Worlds and events aimed at adults will be rated 18+, may include intense violence, sexual content, strong language, and regulated products such as tobacco or alcohol.

Based on this rating, parents can grant access to worlds they deem appropriate for minors. Adult worlds will not be visible or available to minors with parent-managed accounts.

Tweens who access Horizon Worlds will have their status and visibility settings set to ‘offline’ by default to others, a setting that only parents can change, as Meta points out. Added to this are a number of settings already available, such as disabling voice chat.

Meta Quest allows access to the virtual reality ecosystem through three types of accounts, each with privacy and security settings tailored to an age range: an adult account (over 18 years old), a teen account (between 13 and 17 years old), and a pre-teen account (between 10 and 12 years old).

In addition to having greater restrictions, especially for pre-adolescents, accounts for minors are also subject to a series of parental control tools that limit, for example, communication with other users or the games and applications that are used and downloaded.

In April, it began asking users for their birthday to tailor their account type and settings to their age and prevent them from being blocked.