The first (and only) time I played VRChat, my takeaway was, “What kind of adult would want to play a game with this many preteens in every room?”
Then I answered my own question…
Comment on EE warns parents against giving children under 11 a smartphone
Blaster_M@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Let’s go one step further…
VRChat on the Quest is not a babysitter!
The first (and only) time I played VRChat, my takeaway was, “What kind of adult would want to play a game with this many preteens in every room?”
Then I answered my own question…
Yeah, public worlds are cancer. It’s best to get in with friends or groups.
That’s not my point. Kids congregate in public worlds, and predatory adults know where to find them.
…and that is my original point.
vithigar@lemmy.ca 2 months ago
Is that a step further though? I feel like not giving kids access to VR Chat comes way before not giving them a smartphone in terms of restrictiveness or severity. It’s a far more reasonable suggestion.
Blaster_M@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Both… but a Quest is mainly designed for gaming, where a smartphone is designed to do everything. The smartphone restrictikn is an easy one to recommend.
todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 2 months ago
I don’t follow. Wouldn’t a limited-purpose device be easier to restrict than a general-purpose device?
Look at the Nintendo Switch. If there was ever an Internet-connected device to give your kids, it’s a Switch. I have never heard of anything untoward happening to a child on Nintendo’s online platform.
Blaster_M@lemmy.world 2 months ago
A Quest is an overpowered smartphone strapped to your face, with all the capabilities of such. You can restrict a smartphone too, but how many parents actually have that level of technical inclination? It’s better to limit the youngest minds’ times on these devi es until they’re a bit older, and you’ve had more time to teach them important life skills. Also, parents teach your kids important life skills from an early age, please.