The Meta Quest privacy settings UK parents should switch on first: Parent Dashboard, age-locked account, app approvals, personal boundary and friend requests.
Meta Quest accounts come in three age brackets: 10-12 (parent-managed), 13-17 (teen) and 18+. The teen account already restricts the strictest 18+ apps, but parents still need to link the Parent Dashboard, switch on personal boundary, control who can friend the child, and approve any app downloads.
The steps below take about five minutes and apply to a 10-17 account.
Meta Quest app on phone → Settings → Accounts → child's account → Date of Birth. Tip: 10-12 must be parent-managed; 13-17 is a teen account.
Meta Quest app → Family Centre → invite parent. Tip: Lets you approve apps, set time limits and see recent activity.
Family Centre → child → App Approvals → Required. Tip: Stops them downloading VRChat, Gorilla Tag and similar without you knowing.
Quest headset universal menu → Settings → Privacy → Who can send me friend requests → Friends of friends, or Off for under-13.
Inside Horizon Worlds and similar apps: universal menu → Safety → Personal Boundary → On. Tip: Stops other avatars getting closer than about a metre.
Horizon Worlds → Settings → Voice → Only friends.
Meta account → Security → Two-factor authentication → On.
Family Centre → Daily time limit → 60 minutes. Tip: VR can cause cybersickness and eye strain; short sessions are best.
This is practical educational content to support families. For case-specific concerns about a child's safety, contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000 or your local safeguarding team.