The Meta Quest 2's (formerly Oculus Quest 2) latest update is here and it adds even more parental control settings so that you can keep your VR headset’s younger users safe online.
June’s v41 update(opens in new tab) introduced several new parental features like blocking specific apps, introducing purchase controls and notifications, as well as the ability for a parent account to see their child’s Oculus friends list. Now, the latest v42 update(opens in new tab) further expands these settings into better controls for social functions.
This includes putting limits on a child's account’s ability to join parties, chat on the Quest using Messenger in VR, and even use the share feature to send posts to Facebook. On top of this, your Quest 2 will now give children a birthday message as they grow up, alerting them about previously age-restricted activities that have unlocked automatically now that they’re older.
These features will likely delight a lot of parents that want to allow their kids to experience VR but aren’t keen to let them run wild without some supervision. Particularly as multiplayer experiences like Wands Alliances and the Horizon Worlds become more widespread on the platform, these kinds of features will be vital in keeping younger users safe.
If you’re looking for other ways to keep an eye on what your kids are playing in VR, another option is to cast your Quest 2 headset to a TV. Doing so will mean you can easily watch what your child is up to in VR, which not only lets you make sure they aren’t playing something age-inappropriate but also lets you engage better in the activity and even lend a hand if they get stuck by helping to guide them without having to put the headset on yourself.