The World Economic Forum (WEF), one of the most influential international organizations, has expressed concern about the safety of metaverse residents, especially young adults. The group has expressed many concerns regarding the anonymity and safety of young individuals in this coming alternate universe and has made several recommendations to protect them.
The World Economic Forum has put the safety of children in the Metaverse first
Large forums and institutions around the world are considering the impact that living part of one’s life in the Metaverse might have. The World Economic Forum (WEF), an “international organization for public-private cooperation,” has expressed concernabout the safety of young individuals in the Metaverse. In an article written as part of the Forum’s 2022 Davos meeting, WPP CEO Mark Reed explains the growth of this sector and why building a safe metaverse is a priority.
The article tells us that while the metaverse is promoted as an alternate universe that everyone can enjoy, its characteristics tell us that at first glance, it is the gaming applications that attract the most attention, i.e., children are the first to be exposed to these experiences. In this sense, it is explained thus.
Children are playing more games on more devices for longer periods of time before – partly due to the pandemic. They are witnessing a wide range of behaviors (including abuse, if unsupervised). And monitoring itself is becoming very difficult.
How to Make the Metaverse a Safe Space
The institute also offers some recommendations on how to achieve this safety for young people in the future metaverse. According to a survey conducted by Wunderman Thompson, 72% of parents who know about the metaverse are concerned about their children’s privacy there, and 66% are also concerned about their children’s safety.
{From this perspective, some companies have already begun producing wall-protected metaverse experiences specifically designed for children. However, this approach does not apply to the multiconnected metaverse. The article notes that “we must learn how to design better algorithms and business models and intervene successfully.” It explains.
Anticipating new behaviors should certainly be part of the mix. Metaverse enables immersive 3D digital experiences and unprecedented actions, but we also see new behaviors.
Companies are already building metaverse experiences for kids In April, Epic Games announced a partnership with Lego to jointly create a metaverse where kids can build and enjoy their own experiences Epic Games is working to make these experiences own Superawesome, a company that handles keeping them safe for children.
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