Here’s Why US Senators Don’t Want Teens to Access Facebook’s Metaverse

The senators cited Meta’s record of flawed social media platforms for children that have failed to protect them from inappropriate content.

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Two United States senators have asked Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc., to cease plans to release its Horizon Worlds metaverse app to teenagers.

According to a report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the senators sent a letter to the CEO, insisting that Meta stop the plans immediately as the release could contain the same flaws as their Instagram and Messenger apps for kids.

Meta Asked to Stop Horizon Plans for Teenagers

Horizon is a metaverse application that gives users access to virtual worlds and avatars. Launched last December, the platform aims to attract 500,000 monthly active users in the first half of 2023. As of January, Horizon had just over 200,000 monthly active users aged 18 and above.

To attain the set goal, Meta decided in February to open Horizon to teenagers aged 13 to 17 later this month.

But senators Markey and Blumenthal believe such a decision comes with the risks of exposing teenagers to inappropriate content, and they have now asked Zuckerberg to halt such plans immediately.