Meta has been called upon by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for clarification around the strength of parental controls on its Quest 2 headset and VR child safety.

The UK’s data watchdog plans “further discussions” over Meta’s affordable Oculus device, which is now owned by millions of people across the UK, including children.

Experts in child safety have warned, however, that a lack of parental controls on the headset could leave kids susceptible to abuse. Campaigners have said that this could be a breach of the online Children’s Code.

Parental controls would allow parents to block content that could be harmful to children. For example, previous research carried out by campaign group the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found multiple instances of abuse on VRChat, a popular social platform for kids.

Facebook was put firmly under the spotlight late last year after former Product Manager and company whistle-blower Frances Haugen said that the company prioritised “growth over safety” in terms of the content it monitored online during her time there.

The ICO said it intends to contact the US tech giant about the Quest 2’s compliance with the Children’s Code, which states that the “best interests of the child should be a primary consideration” for online services accessed by young people.

A spokesperson for the ICO said: “Online services and products that use personal data and are likely to be accessed by children are required to comply with the standards of our Children’s Code.

“We are planning further discussions with Meta on its children’s privacy and data protection by design approaches to Oculus products and virtual reality services.

“Parents and children who have concerns about how their data is being handled can complain to us at the ICO.”

According to Beeban Kidron, creator of the Children’s Code, Meta could be challenged under several aspects of the code such as users needing to be over 13 to use the Oculus headset.

To use the device, users must have a Facebook account, which requires users to have a minimum age of 13. Meta could be in breach of the code’s provisions requiring companies to check a user’s age.

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In a comment to the Guardian, Kidron said: “The worries about the Oculus VR Headset demonstrate why we need to see ‘safety by design’ as a new norm in tech.

“Kids using VR headsets like Oculus can access chatrooms and other features known to carry risk, by simply ticking a box declaring they meet the minimum age requirements.

“This is an insufficient barrier to underage use of services known to harbour child abuse, harassment, racism and pornography.”

A spokesperson for Meta said the company had confidence that its VR headset met the conditions of the code and that its terms of service put proper account protections in place.

“We’re committed to meeting the obligations under the code, and to providing young people with age-appropriate experiences,” the spokesperson added.

Over the weekend, to bolster its privacy practices, Meta announced the launch of a new Privacy Centre, providing a way for users to find out information around the tech firm’s approach to privacy across its apps and technologies.

However, the hub has already hit criticism as it places the burden of responsibility to learn about privacy practices on users.

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