The Metaverse... scary or safe? Whatever you think, we know it is coming and it is dividing opinions everywhere.
The Metaverse offers opportunities we may never get to have otherwise. Inside this digital universe, we can explore new places and discover landmarks of cultural heritage from around the world.
Not only can we travel, but we can also learn too. The Metaverse allows for truly immersive education. Imagine your children getting to explore how the Milky Way or the Amazon Rainforest functions without ever leaving their classroom, wouldn't that be amazing? Not just for children, the Metaverse will be incredible for doctors to safely practice procedures before they happen in real life.
However, even if this all sounds fantastic, the Metaverse has risks...
Every risk we currently see online, in social media and in gaming will be exacerbated in the Metaverse. The immersive technology, which creates virtual worlds for people to exist in as avatar versions of themselves, increases the risk of digital stalking, cyber-bullying and behaviour that is 'creepy' or inappropriate.
The Metaverse is a digital world where conversations happen live and often through microphones replaying the real-life words of the user. Live interaction is incredibly difficult to moderate, monitor and react to.
For example, Twitter is based in static interaction - a hate-tweet is written and posted, and then can be reviewed and removed by the regulators. The live conversation that happens in the Metaverse is fluid, it is very hard to review and remove it as it is happening. This means that harmful, exploitative or grooming conversations which will happen in the Metaverse are going to be almost impossible to police.
As animation and technology improve the Metaverse will only get more realistic, which means it will become harder to separate the virtual-world and the real-world; some children may struggle to separate fact from fiction in the Metaverse. This new technological universe is also becoming a playground for advertisers. The advertising is so immersive and difficult to spot in the world that you often don't even know that it is there.
So, is it possible to feel safe in the Metaverse?
To make sure the Metaverse is as safe as possible, we need to demand TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND A COMMITMENT TO CHILDREN'S SAFETY from the tech companies who run it.
The Metaverse must also be adequately accounted for in the Online Safety Bill. Companies legally need to take steps to assess and monitor risks and put in place systems that allow for quick reactions to harm. The public, including children, must also be educated on the risks of the Metaverse so that they can keep themselves safe as they explore all the benefits it can bring.
We need to continue to educate and empower children about the dangers of the internet, and how best they can keep themselves safe. The risks that young people will be exposed to, much like the technology itself, will develop and change over time. This is why we believe it is crucial that we all keep conversations with children and young people about the Metaverse and how they use it flowing openly.
Why not sit down today and ask them what they already know about VR and the Metaverse? Get that conversation started!
If you could like please look at these Metaverse / Virtual Reality Safety Tips for Parents: Metaverse and Virtual Reality Safety Tips for Parents - ConnectSafely
