Meta adds a “personal boundary” system to Horizon VR experiences, aimed at stopping harassment in VR. The new feature will come enabled by default on the Horizon Worlds creation platform and the Horizon Venues live event service, creating an invisible virtual barrier around avatars, preventing other people from getting too close.
The border system builds on an existing feature that removes users’ hands if they get too close to another avatar. Meta spokesperson Kristina Milian confirmed that users cannot choose to disable their personal limits, as the system aims to establish standardized norms for how people interact in VR. However, future changes may allow people to customize the size of the border.
If someone tries to enter or teleport into your personal space, the system automatically stops them. But Milian says you can walk past another avatar, so users can’t do things like block logins or use their bubbles to trap people.
The changes to the Meta are rolling out two months after Horizon Worlds went public after a long beta test. During this time, at least one beta user complained that their avatar was being harassed by a stranger. Using the blocking feature to stop the abuser, Meta determined it wasn’t taking full advantage of the options available and said it would make features like the block button “easy to find”.
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