Survey: Public Opinion on Meta’s Decision to Allow Teenagers in the Metaverse

Horizon Worlds: Meta’s Ghost Town in the Metaverse

Social media conglomerate Meta’s metaverse platform, Horizon Worlds, has been at the epicenter of controversy and backlash since its inception. Unlike its popular predecessors, Facebook and Instagram, which have billions of active users and numerous daily engagements, Horizon Worlds isn’t doing nearly as well.

In fact, reports reveal that the platform has seen barely any user engagement since its launch, with most user-created worlds going completely unvisited. Despite being a free-to-play platform, Horizon Worlds has failed to gain the expected popularity among users, much to the disappointment of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

After losing $10 billion on the project last year and facing endless mockery and backlash from netizens who called out the graphics on the platform as “fake-looking” and “eye-gougingly ugly,” Meta has come up with a plan to boost its user base.

Plan B: Lowering Age Limit as a Hail Mary

In a blog post, Meta announced its plan to lower the minimum age requirement for accessing Horizon Worlds from 18 to 13, claiming that “now, teens will be able to explore immersive worlds… and express themselves as they create their own virtual experiences.”

Despite facing severe opposition from lawmakers, child safety experts, and civil society groups, the conglomerate forged ahead with this plan to revive its failing platform. These groups have expressed concerns that the platform could have unintended consequences for the mental health of minors and expose them to harassment and privacy violations.

Online safety groups like Fairplay, the Center for Countering Digital Hate, and Common Sense Media have written a letter to Meta, highlighting the potential risks and dangers for teenagers in the metaverse. Furthermore, Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ed Markey of Massachusetts have also voiced their concerns, stating that “Meta is despicably attempting to lure young teens to Horizon Worlds in an attempt to boost its failing platform.”

They further accused Meta of “inviting digital disaster” and stated that “Meta has a record of abject failure to protect children and teens, and yet again, this company has chosen to put young users at risk so that it can make more money,” following which they urged Zuckerberg to reconsider allowing teens to use the platform.

While this plan may seem like a strategic move, it also reflects the social media giant’s effort to transition from its social media roots and establish a stronger foothold in the rapidly evolving metaverse landscape. However, the debate surrounding this decision has prompted Real Research to launch a survey on the topic. Hence, hurry, and answer the survey on public opinion on Meta’s decision to allow teenagers in the metaverse in the Real Research app from April 26, 2023, and receive 60 TNCs as a reward.