One of the most important international institutions, the World Economic Forum (WEF), has expressed concerns about the safety and well-being of metaverse dwellers, particularly younger ones. The group raised concerns about the safety and anonymity of young people in this alternate world and made a few recommendations to protect them.
World Economic Forum Places Metaverse Child Safety First.
The implications of living in the metaverse are being considered by big institutions and forums around the globe. The World Economic Forum ( WEF), an international institution for public-private cooperation, has expressed concern about the safety and security of young people in the metaverse. Mark Read, CEO at WPP, discusses the rise of this sector and the importance of creating a safe metaverse.
According to the article, the metaverse is being promoted to be an alternative world for everyone. However, because of its characteristics, gaming applications will attract the most attention at first sight. This means that children will be first exposed to these experiences. It explains this in this way:
The pandemic has led to children spending more time on their devices and playing more games. Children are seeing a wide range of behaviours (including abuse if they aren’t monitored). Monitoring is becoming more difficult.
How to make the Metaverse a safe space
The Institution also offered some suggestions on how to ensure that younger people are safe in the future metaverse. Wunderman Thompson conducted a survey and found that 72% of parents who know the metaverse are concerned about the privacy of their children, while 66% are also concerned about their safety.
Some companies have begun to create metaverse experiences that are protected and walled for children. This approach is not applicable in a multi-connected metaverse. This article explains that we must learn how to create better algorithms and business models and how to intervene well.
It is important to anticipate new behaviors. We are seeing new behaviors and experiences in the metaverse, which allows for immersive digital experiences and actions that can be performed in 3D.
Already, companies are creating metaverse experiences for children. Epic Games and Lego announced in April a partnership to create a common metaverse that allows children to build their own experiences. Superawesome is a company Epic Games has acquired to ensure that children have safe experiences.
