Mark Zuckerberg opens up the metaverse to teenagers to save it from failure

So far, the gateway to the famous metaverse, at least the one proposed by Mark Zuckerberg, is Horizon Worlds. But this digital platform fails to attract the public and therefore desperate measures begin in Meta.

To encourage their adoption by the new generations, the company is preparing to authorize the entry of minors 13 to 17 years old which, until now, did not have access enabled.

According to an internal statement published by the Wall Street Journal, the company would begin implementing this change no earlier than March. Even if during this month start your tests.

Horizon Words is Meta’s metaverse that offers virtual reality compatible with the Meta Quest VR headset. For the moment, entry into this universe is suitable over 18 years old.

The parent company of the social network wants one of the age groups that uses its augmented reality viewers the most to remain faithful to the Meta platforms. It is expected that, after this entry, the metaverse will catch up with the file 500,000 users monthly active

“These are the generations who will, in many ways, be the true digital citizens of the metaverse and have grown up interacting seamlessly with technology and connecting with people remotely,” Horizon Meta Vice President Gabriel Aul said in the paper.

The teen version of Horizon Worlds was limited due to a security issue. Although Meta is working to offer more protection for the content they consume.

As if the premiere did not go unnoticed, it plans to launch with this new version at least twenty new experiences in the metaverse, developed with external studios.

According to the memo on Horizon 2023 objectives and strategy, Meta wants to improve user retention, especially among teenagers and young adults.

He believes it is an interesting audience and that it can contribute to the growth of the metaverse, which continues to stagnate, according to the economic results of the multinational.

An audience that resists

Currently the numbers for Horizon Worlds are rather disappointing. According to Business Insider, Metaverse’s weekly retention reach of Metaverse was 11%, which translates to only 1 in 10 people experiencing it coming back online on a weekly basis.

Not to give in, Meta assures that he is in no hurry to develop the metaverse and that the process is slow, even if it costs millions in annual investments and losses.

While Reality Labs, the department in charge of bringing the virtual reality project to a successful conclusion, increased losses by 34% in 2022 to 13.717 million, according to the annual financial report of Meta, the parent company.

Another point that worries the board is that, for the third consecutive year, the activation of the machine is expected, because it has remained in the red and has also reduced its turnover by 5% per year, up to 2,159 million.

With investments of a million dollars, the tech company is looking for ways to prove that the metaverse deserves all the opportunities it needs.