“Maximizing Learning: The Benefits of Wearing Quest Headsets in the Classroom”

Monday’s announcement arrives on the heels of Meta prompting Quest users to confirm their age so it can provide teens and preteens with appropriate experiences. Meta said it will launch it first in the 20 markets where it already supports Quest for Business, Meta’s workplace-focused $14.99/month subscription. It’s not clear how ubiquitous VR use is in schools: one provider, ClassVR, claims that 40,000 classrooms worldwide are using its products. And another big question mark will relate to the cost of buying headsets — Quest 3’s, the latest headsets, start at around $500 apiece for basic models — buying apps and then subsequently supporting all of that infrastructure. Meta said that it has already donated Quest headsets to 15 universities in the U.S., but it’s not clear how far it will go to subsidise growth longer-term.

Meta has been facing criticism over its handling of younger consumers on its platforms, but it is now looking to cater to this demographic with new products. The company announced on Monday that it plans to launch an education-focused product for Quest, its VR headset, later this year.

The product, which is yet to be named, will include a hub of education-specific apps and features, as well as the ability to manage multiple headsets at once without the need for individual updates. Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, explained in a blog post that this new product is a long-term investment for the company.

“We accept that it’s going to take a while for this project to be profitable, but we are committed to it,” Clegg stated during an interview with Axios.

While this move into education may bring a more diverse range of content for Quest users, it also comes at a time when Meta is facing other challenges. The company’s instant messaging service, WhatsApp, has been under fire for lowering its minimum age for users in the UK and EU from 16 to 13.

As part of this education initiative, Meta will only make the product available to institutions with students aged 13 and above. It will initially launch in the 20 markets where Quest for Business, Meta’s workplace subscription service, is already supported. These markets include the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, and parts of Europe.

While there are already companies exploring the use of VR in the classroom, such as ImmersionVR, ClassVR, and ArborVR, the adoption of VR technology in schools is still relatively low. This is partly due to concerns about the impact of excessive screen time on young people. Additionally, there are questions about the cost of implementing VR in schools, as Quest headsets start at $500 each and additional costs are incurred for apps and support.

“We understand the challenges ahead, but we are determined to make VR a valuable tool in the education sector.”

Although Meta has donated headsets to 15 universities in the US, it remains to be seen how far the company will go to support the growth of VR technology in schools in the long term.