Is Apple Vision Safe for Child [Detailed Explanation]
Apple Vision is completely safe for child if you enable the privacy and safety settings. The manufacturer lets the headset pair with other devices so that you can ensure child safety. But the problem arises if you do not follow the safety guidelines and tips.
A child can easily become prey to mental and physical illness if they have overexposure to VR. And to limit their access and risks, parental engagement is a “must.” Let’s figure out how to do so!
Is Apple Vision Safe for Children?
Like any other VR headset, Apple Vision also has an age restriction to increase child safety.
They recommend people of 13 and beyond should use the headset. Also, they have updated their privacy settings to keep your kids safe online.
Their headset allows the users to adjust the placement of the VR as per their head size and shape. It is helpful to keep your child safe from neck strain.
Also, if you follow the privacy guidelines before letting your child use the set, the VR sessions can be fun and secure.
What Features Apple Vision Introduced for Child Safety?
Apple always takes child online safety into consideration. Therefore, they have expanded safety features to their iOS 15.
Although there are no explicit protection options in the Apple Vision, you can connect the iPhone to the headset for safety features. It will give you the following benefits –
Improved Virtual Assistants and Searches
Voice assistant Siri has guidance and updates to prevent child exploitation. If a minor or child searches for something that is harmful to them, the search engine will not show the results. Because it goes against Apple’s child safety regulations.
Instead of showing the harmful content, Siri, Safari search, and Spotlight will explain what harm and security breaches these contents can do to a child.
What we appreciate is, these voice and search assistants will show resources that can demotivate the child from engaging in something unsafe.
If a child feels unsafe or restless by something on the VR set, he can easily report it under child safety violation.
And you do not need to put much effort to do so. Because once you ask Siri to file the report, it will direct you toward the process step–by–step.
Communication Safety
The message analyzing feature provided by Apple can detect child-abusive content or image attachments.
However, the option is not set by default. So, if you have your child’s account access or before they use your account, turn the option on.
Once you enable the feature, Apple Vision will send a warning popup if a message contains nudity or malicious attachments.
The received message will be blurred if it contains anything that can damage your child’s mental health and safety.
Also, if someone tries to send inappropriate images or files from the VR set, the features warn the sender not to do that.
What Are the Potential Dangers of Apple Vision for A Child?
No matter how many privacy and safety updates are there in a VR set, there is always a way to breach online safety and data.
The risks multiply when a child is using the Apple Vision without adult monitoring. And here are the most common issues they can face –
Privacy Concerns
It is obvious that a child will not have the maturity to prevent data breaches unless you teach them.
And if you do not monitor their VR sessions and activities, they might share personal data with other sources that may misuse this information.
It mainly happens when your child makes purchases through unreliable sources.
Also, Apple Vision can store the tracking data while you use your eye or hand movements for streaming content.
And if a hacker or malicious party gets hold of these data, they can clone your child’s tracking features to carry out cybercrimes.
Online Child Abuse
It is possible to follow and chat with netizens through the VR sets. And some child abusers set prey through VR sessions to exploit children. Sometimes, abusers blackmail a child to do inappropriate things, especially sexual acts. And it can traumatize the children involved.
Affects Mental Conditions
Puberty and childhood are two of the sensitive periods when mental scars can develop. And virtual reality experiences can act as fueling adding to the fire!
To illustrate, if a child spends most of his time watching extremely violent content, they become prone to aggression. They will behave rudely and beyond their age.
Also, some content can scare them so much that they will be too traumatized to grow out of their comfort zone.
It happens due to the immersive screenplays of Apple Vision. The virtual world seems so real that it can emotionally damage your child.
Also, too much screen time reduces their ability to concentrate. And they might suffer from attention deficit syndrome. It can lead to sleep disorder insomnia as well.
Drains Physical Health
The light or ray that reflects from the VR screen can strain the eyes. It means that your child will rub your eyes often. And it is a result of concentrating on the screen constantly without any break.
Also, as overexposure to VR experiences disrupts sleeping patterns, the body will become more susceptible to certain diseases. Why? Because without enough sleep, a sound body is beyond a dream.
How to Prevent the Negative Effects of Using Apple Vision VR?
Online child abuse or the negative impacts of VR are preventable. And to make the job easier, many third-party platforms are launching their tools to expand child safety. In order to keep your child safe, all you have to do is:
Maintain a Schedule
In order to prevent overexposure to Apple Vision, make a schedule for screen time. Let us explain. Do not let your child use the headset for over 30 minutes at a go. It will minimize the risk of developing nearsightedness.
Also, if you can form their habit of taking regular breaks from the VR sessions, they will involve a lot less with the virtual world. Thus, it will help them socialize and keep their mental health growing.
In our opinion, scheduled screen time will not let them become addicted to the internet. And it reduces their chance of becoming the victim of cybercrime and online abuse!
Use Third-Party Apps
There are several third-party apps that feature parental controls for VR sets. However, you need to use programs that are compatible with Apple Vision and other Apple products.
If you have an Apple TV, you can pair it to the VR set through Airplay or other tools. And due to this screen-mirroring, you will be able to watch the VR content on the TV. So, you can monitor whether your child is watching child-friendly content or not.
Parental Engagement
As a parent or guardian, your active engagement is a must if your child uses Apple Vision. What we meant is, with your kid, you should openly discuss the dangers of meeting people over VR.
And always enable all the safety and privacy settings offered by Apple Vision.
Also, you should let the child know how online purchase on VR can misuse their data. And strictly prohibit them from sharing personal information on the internet. Such conversation will develop a sense of safety in them and they will understand how to protect it.
FAQ’s
Still confused about whether to hand over the Apple Vision to your child or not? Well, let’s start digging deeper into these queries below to find the answer you were hunting for:
What are the signs that your child is a victim of online abuse?
If a child is experiencing cyber abuse, he might become too hideous or secretive about their online activities. Also, children will express a sudden change in their behavior. And they might socialize less with family and friends.
How much screen time on Apple Vision is safe for a child?
It depends on how many VR sessions they take once a day. If they use it for once, they can stream for 30 minutes at a stretch. But if they use it multiple times, they should not prolong each session beyond 15 minutes.
Are there any online organizations to prevent VR online abuse?
Yes, there are several online organizations that can educate your child to prevent abuse while using Apple Vision. You have to make the kids aware of NCMEC and ConnectSafely centers and their tips against child exploitation.
Conclusion
As a concerned parent, it is common to wonder whether apple vision is safe for child or not! And in this current world of cyberbullying and data breaches, we think your concern is justified.
Before you invest in Apple Vision or such tools for your children, we’d highly suggest educating them on child exploitation online.
Thus, it will make them comfortable sharing any unfortunate incident that happened to them online!
You may also check now: