Democratic senators urge Meta not to market its metaverse app to teenagers | CNN Business

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Two Democratic senators urged Meta this week to suspend a reported plan to offer Horizon Worlds, the company’s flagship virtual reality app, to teens ages 13 to 17, arguing the technology could harm physical and mental health of young users.

The lawmakers, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, called Meta’s plan “unacceptable” in light of the company’s “record of failing to protect children and teens” in a letter dated to the company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, on Wednesday.

The letter centers on a plan, reported by the Wall Street Journal last month, that would allow teenage Meta users to join a persistent online world made up of multiple digital communities through the use of virtual reality headsets. Horizon Worlds is now available for adults 18 and up.

Citing concerns raised by previous research about Meta’s impact on adolescent mental health, Markey and Blumenthal said there is little research on the psychological and physical effects of using metaverse, Meta’s preferred name for the underlying VR technology, and how little there is is worrying. , they argued.

“Your plans to take these young people imminently into an unexplored and potentially dangerous virtual realm with consequences for their physical and mental health are unacceptable,” they wrote, adding: “Any strategy to invite young users into a digital space full of potential. Harms should not be motivated by a goal of maximizing profits.”

A Meta spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The calls for caution come as social media platforms have faced years of scrutiny over their impact on young users, including their potential to lead teenagers down harmful rabbit holes.

TikTok announced on Wednesday that all users under the age of 18 will soon have their accounts default to a daily screen time limit of one hour, in one of the most aggressive moves yet by a social media company to prevent teenagers are constantly on the move.

Other platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, have similarly implemented parental controls and additional features that encourage teens to take a break and set limits.