Giving a VR Headset This Christmas: Age Rules, Accounts and First-Day Limits

Before you wrap it

Check the age rules before you buy, then do the account work on your own phone.

• Check the age rules first

  Meta says a child must be at least 10 to have a Meta Account for Quest, and then only with a parent's help. For ages 10 to 12, a parent or guardian must set up and manage the child's Meta Account. From 13, a young person can manage their own Meta Account. Meta adds that these ages may vary by region. Meta says parents can't create an account for a child under 10, and children under 10 can't use Meta Quest 2 and 3.

• Check the headset you are buying is covered

  Meta’s UK parent information page names Meta Quest 2 and 3 for parent-managed accounts for 10 to 12 year-olds. It does not mention the Quest 3S, so check Meta’s page for the exact headset before you buy for a child aged 10 to 12.

• Set up the child's account from your phone

  Meta's steps for creating a child's account are done in the Meta Horizon app on your phone, or in Family Centre on the web. You may need to log in to, or create, your own Meta account and Meta Horizon profile first. With a parent-managed account, you and your child use your email address and password to sign in, then choose to continue as the child's account. Full step-by-step: see our VR headset guide.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Set a passcode on your own profile

  Meta recommends that you set a passcode on your own profile and require it to unlock the headset, so your child stays in the account meant for their age.

• Charge it

  Meta says to fully charge a new Quest 3 with the supplied adapter and cable before first use, and to put a new headset on charge before any software update.

  • Software update

What you'll need on the day

• Your own phone with the Meta Horizon app

  Meta says the Meta Horizon app on a phone is needed to complete the headset's first pairing and setup, though not for every later use.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Wi-Fi details

  Meta says the first-run tutorial on a new Quest 3 includes choosing a language and connecting to Wi-Fi, so you need the Wi-Fi details on Christmas morning.

  • Wi-Fi

• Time for updates

  Meta says a Quest updates its software automatically when it is charged, switched on and on Wi-Fi, but not while it is switched off or asleep. Meta also says the headset software must be up to date for supervision time limits and scheduled breaks to work.

  • Software update

• Payment, if you plan to gift apps

  Meta says a parent managing a child's account can make purchases for the child, and can also gift apps the child hasn't requested from the Meta Horizon Store.

  • Payment method

If it's second-hand

• Reset it and set up your own account

  Meta says a factory reset on a Quest can't be undone and removes all account information, downloaded games and content from the headset, and that it needs at least 50% battery first. Meta also says a reset won't remove content bought on the previous owner's account, because purchases stay with the account, not the headset. So set the headset up with your own account from scratch rather than the old one.

On Christmas Day

• Apps are approved by you

  On a child's account for ages 10 to 12, Meta says the parent must approve every app before download, whatever its rating and whether it is free, paid or pre-installed. A child asks for an app with a Send request button.

• Contacts and chat: limited, not closed

  Meta says a child on a parent-managed account can't use chats or calls with anyone you haven't added as an approved contact, and can't invite other people to join them in an app or destination. But Meta also says the child may still be able to interact with other people who are not approved contacts in parent-approved apps or destinations. So approving an app means checking its own social features.

• Time limits

  Meta’s parent page says experts recommend a 2-hour daily screen-time limit, and that parents can set a daily time limit for their child, with a default setting of 2 hours. A parent of a child or supervised teen can watch their Quest activity live from the Meta Horizon app, but the child is notified, and it needs the headset online and both devices on the same Wi-Fi.

• Keep the first session short and in the room with you

  Stay nearby for the first go, and agree how long and where they can use it. Save the longer family agreement for Boxing Day.

Ages and accounts

• Meta Quest, 10 to 12

  Meta says supervision is set up automatically for a parent who manages a child's (10 to 12) Meta Horizon profile, so there is no separate opt-in for under-13s. Managing the account lets you see time spent, set time limits, allow or block apps, and make purchases for the child.

• Meta Quest, 13 to 17

  Meta's supervision for teens covers ages 13 to 17, or 14 to 17 in some regions. It is optional: both the parent and the teen must agree, either can end it at any time, and the other person is told if it is removed.

• Meta's safety warnings

  Meta’s safety warnings (we read the Quest 3S version) say the headset is not recommended for younger or smaller children, is not a toy, and should be kept away from children you decide should not use it. Keep it somewhere safe until Christmas Day.

• PlayStation VR2

  Sony says PlayStation VR2 is not for children under age 12. Sony also says to read the safety guides when setting up PS VR2 and to consider whether a younger family member is ready for VR.