Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta is making a push to put its VR headsets in classrooms everywhere, it has been learned.
As the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp, Meta has been seeking to transform the digital world with the dispersal of its Quest VR headsets by integrating virtual reality into everyday life.
Now, with the lackluster consumer response to the company’s Metaverse concept, it seems that Meta’s next move is to target schools, teachers and children in an effort to make the product indispensable as a teaching aid, if not completely revolutionize the schooling system.
As schools across the United States have already made school-issued laptops commonplace, Meta’s vision assuredly is to take this embracing of technology to the next level by putting a VR headset into the hands of every student and teacher.
If average consumers won’t buy into the Metaverse concept as eagerly as the company wants, then targeting school systems and students could definitely prove to be an effective strategy for the company.
While the implementation of virtual and augmented reality in classrooms is a huge step, there is some cause for concern about the adoption of the developing technology, particularly with its impact on childrens’ health and well-being.
Meta's next Metaverse ambitions include putting VR headsets into the classroom.
Could this unlock creativity, or just add a new dimension to distraction? https://t.co/G65NzijWBj
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) April 16, 2024
The effect of screen-time on the brain is still being studied as these technologies are being designed and implemented simultaneously, but the effects of too much time on the internet or in virtual worlds have shown to have potentially negative effects on human attention span, which could affect a student’s ability to concentrate and remain focused.
Furthermore, dopamine responders in the brain can become over-stimulated and may contribute to rises in depression amongst both youth and adults. This is particularly a cause for concern as the brains of children are still developing.
Another potential concern comes from the political angle. Meta is a company notorious for its censorship of conservative voices that speak in favor of traditional values. While there has been incredible progress in the free speech movement with Elon Musk’s take-over of Twitter and rebranding it as “X,” Zuckerberg’s Meta has continued to suppress voices and news with shadowbanning and so-called “fact checks.”
With Meta attempting to move into the classroom, there is again cause for concern about what types of information might be taught and in what way. The possibility of topics or words being censored or information presented with a leftist bias is real.
Nevertheless, the potential dangers, disadvantages and controversies likely will not be enough to stop schools from embracing the new technology, especially if given incentive from either the company or local governments. Like a shiny new toy, chances are that school systems will eagerly seek for ways to implement the devices in the classroom and figure out the politics and health hazards later.
