During the congressional online safety hearing in January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg suggested that mobile app store providers such as Apple and Google should take responsibility for implementing parental controls for social media. Now, it seems that Meta is utilizing its Quest VR store to showcase its perspective on how devices with app stores should handle online age verification.
Today, Meta announced that it is requesting Quest 2 and 3 users to verify their age by reentering their birthdays. This will allow the company to tailor the experience, settings, and protections specifically for teenagers and preteens. For example, teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 will have their profile automatically set to private. Guardians also have access to parental supervision tools to customize their teens’ experiences. Additionally, parents must create an account for preteens between the ages of 10 and 12. In that scenario, parents have the ability to manage the apps that the preteen is able to download.
Users have 30 days to verify their age. We will temporarily block their account if they fail to provide their birthdate within this period. Meta has implemented a new verification process to address the issue of incorrect birthdates. Users who accidentally enter the wrong birthdate will now be required to verify their identity using an ID or credit card. 
Meta informed developers that starting in March 2024, they must specify the target age group for their app, be it preteens, teens, or adults. The company also unveiled its user-age group APIs, which were officially launched last month. Developers can utilize the APIs to notify Meta if a user does not meet the age requirements for their app.
In 2022, Meta introduced parental supervision tools to its VR headset. Last year, the company introduced parent-managed accounts specifically designed for preteens.
