Project Metaverse planned for children with a focus on safety

Image: Epic Games

Epic Games and Lego also want to make the Metaverse accessible to children. A vision of the future?

The issue of security is an ever-present topic in the digital space, from privacy to harassment to hate speech. The question is also relevant in the context of the metaverse.

Social virtual reality apps and metaverse apps are repeatedly criticized for not doing enough to protect participants. Toxic behavior and harassment pose serious problems for tech companies’ Metaverse plans. What policies need to be put in place and who defines them?

Epic Games and Lego create Metaverse for children

Epic Games and Lego see great potential for younger generations in the Metaverse. Together they want to create a social experience that allows children to learn through play and be creative in virtual spaces. The exact purpose of the project has not been specified. It will likely be a competing product for Minecraft and Roblox. It is not known if virtual reality plays a role.

Instead, the two companies are more concerned with security issues in announcing their cooperation. LEGO boss Christiansen sees his own responsibility in protecting these virtual creative spaces from the dangers of the virtual world. Previous projects from Lego and Epic Games should show exactly what this protection should look like.

Metaverse control via parental tools?

Epic Games bought the kidtech platform SuperAwesome in 2020. This allows parents to control their children’s Internet consumption through access restrictions – and developers are allowed to advertise on the platform in a way adapted to the target group. Lego also follows a similar principle and launched Lego Life in 2016, a parent-moderated social media app for kids.

Both companies therefore already have experience in child safety. For their joint Metaverse project, security is an essential factor in gaining or maintaining the trust of the target group.

Attack on the metaverse of Meta

In addition to Lego, Epic Games is working increasingly closely with Sony. A recent billion-dollar investment from the Japanese tech giant in Epic Games includes Metaverse spaces for creations and events.

Epic Games is positioning itself as a challenger to the Metaverse vision of Meta. With strong new partners, all of whom have a very positive image among the target groups, interesting metaverse concepts could emerge which, unencumbered by data and bullying scandals, push the still quite theoretical topic forward.

Note: Links to online stores in articles may be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED.de will receive a commission from the seller. The price does not change for you.