Sir Nick Clegg has said virtual reality headsets will not be used in schools under new meta plans unless teachers can monitor pupils’ behavior, amid growing concerns about the safety of children in the metaverse.

Mr Clegg said: “Unless teachers feel they have complete visibility and control over what is going on, this will not be used in the classroom.

“The bottom line is that parents, especially young children, feel this way too, otherwise why would it be used in an educational setting?”

Yuan A new software package has been announced for schools to use virtual and augmented reality as learning tools, allowing teachers to expand the ways in which VR headsets can be used in the classroom for multiple users simultaneously.

Students aged 13 and above will be able to enter metaverse Immersive programs in classrooms allow them to visit museums, practice speaking a different language, or enter 3D versions of environments they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

The company is also rolling out a feature called “Sharing Mode,” in which kids won’t be able to access the Meta Quest store to download new apps or games, and other users won’t know the school user’s identity. Mr Clegg explain.

He added: “It will be a more engaging, participatory and immersive experience than currently available in classrooms, and therefore a completely safe experience as the teacher will be completely in control.”

The Metaverse is a general term for 3D immersive virtual worlds in which people can interact with each other and create a shared space that many users access through headsets.

There are multiple metaverse platforms, including Fortnite, Roblox, and Meta’s Horizon Worlds.

According to data released by Metaverse, a consulting company, the total number of monthly active users of the Metaverse platform reached 600 million by the end of 2023.

The vast majority of Metaverse users are children. Approximately 84% of users are under 18 years old, and 51% of total users are 13 years old or younger.

Rani Govender, senior child safety online policy officer at the NSPCC children’s charity, said: “Young people should be protected wherever they access the online world and if Meta wants to expand, their safety and The well-being of children should be the primary consideration in Meta’s decisions about the use of these products.

“Children continue to face unacceptable harm in the Metaverse and protections must be rolled out across the board so that young people who may be enjoying a safer experience at school are not put at risk when using Meta’s products at home.”

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Mr Clegg admitted the cost would be a barrier for some schools.

“Whenever you have a new technology, whether it’s a calculator or a whiteboard, that becomes mainstream in education over time, you always have an early adopter problem, which is that the technology tends to be smaller in the beginning than others,” he said. Technology is more expensive. As volume increases, it has come to an end.

“So it will be easier for schools and universities that have more means to use the technology early. All we can do is try to make the technology as affordable as possible.”

The educational product is expected to be launched by Meta later this year.