Age Verification in Virtual Reality: Meta Urges Quest Users to Provide Date of Birth to Personalize Accounts

Meta is urging its users in the Quest virtual reality ecosystem to provide their date of birth in order to personalize their accounts and settings based on their age. This step is being taken to prevent users from being locked out of their accounts.

Users of Meta Quest will receive a notification requesting them to re-enter their date of birth, which will remain confidential but will aid Meta in determining their age. This process is mandatory, and users must comply within 30 days of receiving the notification, as stated on Meta’s official blog. Failure to provide the date of birth will result in the account being blocked.

If the entered date of birth does not match the initial one provided, account usage will be limited. In such cases, users may need to provide official identification to verify their correct age. Meta offers three different account models based on age: adults (over 18 years old), teenagers (between 13 and 17 years old), and preteens (between 10 and 12 years old). Each age group has specific privacy and security settings tailored to their needs.

Minors, especially preteens, have additional restrictions on their accounts along with parental control tools that regulate communication with other users and the games and applications they can access and download. By aligning account settings with the user’s age, Meta aims to enhance the safety and privacy of its virtual reality ecosystem for all participants.