Parental Control Tools and Resources for Quest
We’re starting to roll out parental control tools on all Quest headsets† In the parent dashboard, parents and guardians can:
- Approve the download or purchase of an app by their teen that is blocked by default based on the IARC rating.
- Teens aged 13 and over can submit a ‘Ask to Buy’ request, which triggers a notification to their parent.
- The parent can then approve or deny the request from within the Oculus mobile app.
- Block specific apps that may be inappropriate for their teen, preventing the teen from launching those apps. Apps that can be blocked include apps such as web browsers and apps available in the Quest Store.
- See all the apps their teen owns.
- Receive ‘purchase notifications’ so they are notified when their teen makes a purchase in VR.
- View headset screen time through the Oculus mobile app so they know how much time their teen is spending in VR.
- Check out their teen’s list of Oculus friends.
- Block Clutch and Air connection to prevent their teen from accessing content from their PC on their Quest headset.
In order for parents to link to their teen’s account, the teen must initiate the process and both the parent and teen must agree.
We are also launching our new Parent Education Centerincluding a guide to our ConnectSafely VR parental control tools to help parents discuss virtual reality with their teens†
This is just a starting point, based on careful collaboration with industry experts, and we will continue to expand and develop our parental control tools over time.
Extend parental control features on Instagram
On Instagram, parents and guardians can now:
- Send invitations to their teens to start monitoring tools. Initially, only teens could send invitations.
- Set specific times during the day or week when they want to limit their teens’ use of Instagram.
- See more information when their teen reports an account or message, including who was reported and the type of report.
If you’ve already set Instagram surveillance in the US, these updates are now available in addition to our other surveillance tools† Starting this month, these tools will roll out to other countries, including the UK, Japan, Australia, Ireland, Canada, France and Germany, with plans to roll out globally before the end of the year. Visit our Family center learn more.
Supporting Teens’ Time on Instagram
Teens will see new nudges on Instagram. Teens in certain countries will see a notification encouraging them to switch topics if they repeatedly view the same type of content on Explore. This push is meant to encourage teens to discover somethingthing new and excludes certain topics that may be related to appearance comparison.
We designed this new feature because research shows that nudges can be effective in helping people, especially teenagers, be more aware of how they are currently using social media. In an external study On the effects of nudges on social media use, 58.2% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that nudges improved their social media experience by helping them become more aware of their time on the platform. Our own research shows they work, too: During a week-long trial, one in five teens who saw our new nudges switched to another topic.
We launched our Take a break feature to remind people to take time off from Instagram. Soon we’ll be launching new reminders for teens to turn on Take a Break when they’ve scrolled for a while in Roles. The memories include roles developed by young creators such as @foodwithsoy† @abraxaxs and @mayasideas who share their own tips for taking a break and why it’s a good idea to take a break from social media. These are now being tested in the US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and will launch in those and other countries later this summer.
We’re also empowering young creators from the US to share more content on Instagram that inspires teens and supports their well-being through funding and education. An expert steering committee of experts in child psychology and digital literacy will advise creators in the program on fact-based ways to use language that enhance emotional well-being and self-esteem, how to create responsible online content, and how creators can ensure for themselves and their communities, both online and offline.
Resources Supported by Experts
we add new articles in the Family Center education center from organizations such as ParentZone, Media Smarts, National Association for Media Literacy Education and Cyberbullying Research Center† These articles give parents helpful tips on how to talk to teens about a variety of online topics, such as: connect securely with others and how to be more self-aware online† We continue to work with experts and organizations to make even more resources available to parents and guardians. We are also adding a new privacy page with more information for teens about privacy settings, defaults, and features in Quest, Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger.
How we build safe experiences and products for teens
We work directly with teens, parents and experts to develop products and experiences that help keep young people safe. In recent years we have adopted best practices from the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and children’s rights organizations.
Today we are sharing more details about an internal process we created to help us apply the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in our product development. The Convention emphasizes that the “best interests of the child” should be paramount in creating services, products and experiences for young people. Our process guides our teams in applying this standard as they develop digital experiences for those under 18 who use our technologies. Read more about our Work in the best interests of the childand how it informs the experiences we create for young people.
“It’s really encouraging to know that Meta has listened to young people and their parents and developed tools that encourage timely conversations. At Parent Zone, we know how difficult it can be for parents to feel left out of their children’s digital world. With these new tools, we see a shift towards more partnership between families and platforms and that is an incredibly positive step.” † Vicki Schot, founder and CEO of Parent Zone
“As VR technologies take off and the Quest becomes a favorite product of many young people, parents and guardians now have access to a range of tools to protect and engage with their teens’ participation and experiences. We are pleased that Meta continues to seek data-driven insights from scientists and practitioners in various social science fields to build solutions that will equip youth, families, and educators with the tools and resources they need to safely enjoy exploring and interacting on their own. favorite platforms.” † dr. Sameer Hinduja, co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center