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Meta Adds New Parental Control Options Within its Quest VR Headsets

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Meta Adds New Parental Control Options Within its Quest VR Headsets

Meta’s launching new parental supervision tools for its Quest VR headsets, along with new educational resources to help parents protect their kids in the more immersive virtual environment.

The move comes as VR take-up continues to rise, and with reports already indicating that some users are being sexually harassed, and even assaulted via their digital avatars, Meta needs to get ahead of these concerns, before they have much more significant impacts.

Meta’s new Parent Dashboard within Quest headsets, which it originally previewed back in March, will enable parents to approve their child’s downloads and purchases, block specific apps that may be inappropriate, view headset screen time, monitor their child’s friend connections, and more.

Teen users will need to initiate the parental link to their account, ensuring that they’re aware of the process.

Meta VR parental controls

That could give parents additional peace of mind, and with Meta anticipating that, eventually, more and more people are going to be spending more and more of their time within its VR environments, there certainly needs to be a level of protection for younger users (note: users must be aged 13+ to create a Quest account, which likely not all users are abiding by, but that’s the minimum age threshold set by Meta)

In addition to this, Meta’s also launching a new Parent Education Hub for Meta Quest, which will include guides to its VR parental supervision tools and other resources.

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Meta VR parental hub

As Meta looks ahead to the Metaverse, and a more immersive version of online engagement, there are also significant safety concerns to consider for young users – especially given the harms that we’re already seeing as a result of social media use.
If teens are already suffering from mental impacts as a result of current online engagement, you can only imagine that this will be much worse within wholly enclosed virtual spaces, where it may well feel like there’s no escape.

The hope is that Meta gets ahead of this before it becomes a bigger concern, something that it didn’t do in its initial ‘move fast and break things’ era. Indeed, throughout its history, Meta has shown little care for the impacts that its apps may cause, till well after the fact (and after much external criticism), which doesn’t inspire much confidence in its Metaverse approach.

Will Meta incorporate the lessons that it’s learned from the first stage of social media and online connection at a foundational level of its Metaverse?

Early updates like this are a positive sign, which, along with voice controls and personal boundaries in VR, should help to provide more protection.

But misuse of these more immersive environments will likely happen in ways we haven’t even considered yet. And in that respect, I do hope that Meta doesn’t move too fast – or things could well get even more broken than ever.

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.

The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.

According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.

Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.

Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.

The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.

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This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.

Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.

As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?

Only time will tell.

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.

When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.

“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.

Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.

“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.” 

“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.

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“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.

Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.

As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.

That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.

Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.

That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.

Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.

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Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.

We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.

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