Welcome to the Parent’s Guide to using a Meta Quest 3/3s or monitoring a Meta Quest that your child is using. Maybe it’s a Christmas or Birthday present. Or just something fun to get because it’s on sale. Maybe your child has been nagging you forever but you are a little intimidated by it. I hope that this guide will clear a lot of things up and make you more confident in allowing your child to have a Meta Quest VR headset. I am a parent myself, but my children are too young to use VR yet. However, I am well aware how things work from a parent perspective as well.
I’m going to break it down into sections so if you have a specific question, hopefully that will help you find what you need quicker. Click on any section to jump down to it. I’m trying to order them from what you need at the beginning to other tips later on.
- Accounts
- Activation/Start Up
- Settings/Family Center
- How to Purchase Games/Apps
- Stream/Casting
- Accessories
- Digital Citizenship
- Games/Apps/Experiences
- Discounts
- Alternate Methods
General FAQ Section at the end.
If you have any questions throughout or after reading, please don’t hesitate to reach out! My email is: [email protected]
1. Meta Quest Accounts
Before you do anything, you (as the parent) will need to make a Meta account. Yes, you can use Facebook or Instagram to do this. However, I would recommend not having it paired to either of those accounts (and the same goes for your teen). If your Meta account gets banned or reported for some reason, you might lose access to your Facebook or Instagram if it is all connected to the same account. Use a separate email to make it. Simply go onto the Meta website and click on the top right corner to start making your account. I show this in the video at 1:25
If your child is between the ages of 10-12, you will make their account inside of your account. This is going to be done through the Meta Family Center. You will need to be logged into your account and go the the Family Center here. I walk you through this process in the video above at the time 2:05
If your child is between the ages of 13-17, they will make their own account with their own email address (again, I recommend not tying it into Instagram or anything else). Then they will have to invite you as a parents afterwards or you will invite them to be part of your family. I show this in the video at 6:11.
When creating your account and activating your headset, I invite you to use my affiliate code which will get you $30 Quest Cash ($60 until December 31, 2025). Here it is: https://www.meta.com/referrals/link/BrianSloan/
You can manage your account from a computer and from the mobile device. You will need to download the Horizon App on your phone to get the most out of the experience and have the most and easiest time moderating your child’s use.
2. Activation/Start Up
Once your and your child or teen’s Meta Account is set up. Then you are ready to get going. You can turn on your Meta Quest 3 or 3s. It will walk you through some basic things to set it up. Give yourself some room and make sure you have a little time. I’m not going to go through controls and all of that here as when you go through the start up, it teaches you the basics of controls, boundary settings, menu navigation, etc.
If you have a 10-12 year old, you will need to set up your adult profile first. Then you will go through and add your child which I will talk about later. With a teen, you could just have your Teen go through it but I would still recommend you having an account on it as you will need it for certain things anyway. At some point during the setup, you will pair your head set to your phone via a pairing code. This should pop up on the screen during this process. If it doesn’t, I show where you can find it in the settings on the Quest at 4:36.
Once you are finished the setup, if you have a 10-12 year old then their profile should already be attached to the Meta Quest now too. When turning on or off the headset, you will be prompted which profile to choose.
For a Teen, you will need to invite them to be part of the headset. To do this, watch the video at 6:50. I will try to explain here as well.
- Make sure you Quest 3 or 3s is turned on.
- Open the Horizon App on your mobile device.
- Click on the devices icon in the bottom right
- Click on your device
- Click on “Add Profile” at the bottom
- It will then give you a link to share to your teen’s email
- Share that to them and have them click on it while logged into their Meta Account
- It will go through a few prompts and allow them to have access to the head set.
3. Family Center/Settings
This is the most important section of this document in my opinion. There are a variety of settings that you can access that will make this process easier in the long run. Some will be from the general settings menu but many are part of the Family Center settings on the Web or App. I will split them into those groups.
3a – Family Center Settings
Notifications
You can set your notifications to go to your email, mobile device app, or both. I would recommend having the mobile device app notifications turned on. This will push any requests from your child/teen to the app and make it much easier to reply to. If you have it to your email, you will need to open the email, click the link, which will then take you either to the app or webpage, and then you can respond to the request.
Manage Followers and Contacts
On the Family Center you can also manage and see who your child can follow. You can adjust the settings around this by going to the Safety Settings under their name. You can also access their followers and who they are following so that you can keep track of them.
View Total Time and What Apps/Worlds are being played
By clicking on their profile in the Family Center, you will be able to see some very useful information. You will find a graph showing how long your child/teen has played each day. From there, you can get a more in-depth view at specific apps, games, and worlds. This is great information to see.
App/Game and World Settings & Approval
In the Family Center you can also choose which Apps, Games, and Horizon Worlds you allow your child to play. For Horizon Worlds, you are able to search for world in the Family Center to approve.
For games/apps, the child will have to request access from which you can then give permission. You can choose blanket settings link “All apps rated Everyone and Everyone 10+” or “All apps rated Everyone, Everyone 10+ and Teen”. The third option is to “Approve apps one by one”.
For the Browser App, it is activated by default, but by clicking on it under the approved apps, you are then able to click certain restrictions/filters to help stop inappropriate sites from coming up.
Time Limits & Break Times
My favourite feature of the Family Center is the ability to set time limits and break times on your child/teen’s account. Time limits can be as simple as 1 hour a day, or as complex as changing the amount of time per day of the week. Break times are great because you can make it so the head set won’t work during certain times. You can make it so it won’t work at night or early in the morning, after school when homework should be completed, or any other times. This can be adjusted for different days of the week as well.
Send Credits for Purchases
You can give your child/teen credits to use to purchase apps. Honestly, I would just purchase them on your account and then give them access. The whole credits thing is overkill in my opinion.
3b – General Settings
To access the general settings, you will need to put on the head set and either be on your profile for some of these or on your child/teen’s profile for others. I will specify.
Lock Your Profile with a PIN
On your profile. Open up the settings and scroll on the left down to Security. Here you can set your PIN and then select that a PIN needs to be entered to access your profile. You must do this if you don’t want your child/teen accessing your profile. Otherwise, whenever the headset is turned on, they could just select yours and play on it.
Lock Apps with a PIN (On your profile)
If you plan to allow your child/teen on your profile but don’t want them to access certain apps, you can attach a PIN to pen those apps. This is done in the same settings menu as what you did to lock your profile.
Mute Other Players on Horizon World
On your child/teen’s profile, start up Horizon Worlds, or just enter a world. If you entered a random world, click on the left controller menu button
4. How to Purchase Games/Apps
To purchase games and apps you will need to go to the Meta Store. This can be on the Meta Quest, on your mobile device, or on the browser site. You will need to attach a payment method (which it prompts you to do when making your account anyway).
If your child is on the store and would like an app, they can submit a request for you to look at it. You can then make the decision and purchase if you would like. For your teen, you can give them a certain allotment or credit to use on games. You can still have them have to have it approved by you though (which is probably the smartest choice).
When purchasing games, if they aren’t on sale, please use my promo code TNORTHVR to get 20% off almost any apps/games on the Meta Store. After January 1, 2026 the discount will go back down to 10%. This code can be used as many times as you would like. It doesn’t run out.
Now there are games that can be played on the Web Browser, downloaded onto the Quest via a side program, or played through the Quest and a PC Computer which is called PCVR. I’m not going to get into any that here. This is just for regular Quest use.
5. Stream/Casting
Streaming or Casting what is being seen in the head set is very simple. It can be done the easiest through the mobile app, but is possible through a computer as well. I’m just going to explain it through the app as the Family Center Settings make it very easy to do.
To watch what your child is doing through the Mobile App, you can watch the video at 11:18, or follow these steps:
- Open up the app
- Select the three lines menu in the top left
- Click on Family Center
- Select your child/teen’s account
- Click on “View Live”
If you are interested in getting a stream/cast going to your computer, send me a message and I can walk you through it.
6. Accessories
The question I often see asked is if accessories are really necessary. Straight forward answer, no. You don’t need any accessories to get going right out of the box. Are accessories useful and do they make the overall VR experience better? Yes, that’s why they make them.
There are a wide variety of accessories. Here is a list of the basics:
- Head Strap
- Controller Covers
- Charging Dock
- Facial Interface (the cover/padding where your face is)
- Cases
- Controller Extensions like handles or golf clubs
- Prescription lenses
There are others as well but that covers the gist of things for now.
What accessories are important? If your child wears glasses, then prescription lens inserts are a fantastic choice. I wear glasses but my glasses are too big to fit into the VR (even with the glasses spacer that comes with the head set). There are a lot of different companies that make them but I’ve always preferred HonsVR (use promo code BrianSloanArtist for an extra 5% off as well). They are $49.95 and have never let me down. You’ll just need to have your child’s prescription.
A new head strap is important for two reasons. First, the battery on a Quest 3s lasts about 2-2.5 hours. That is probably plenty of time for your kid, however, if you would like more time, then a battery head strap can add much more time to that. Second, a new head strap will replace the flimsy fabric strap that goes around your head with a more solid, better padded, and easily adjustable strap that has a battery built into or attached to it. A solid choice that is often on sale and is lightweight compared to many is the Kiwi Design K4 Boost. To get the idea of what it actually is, check out my review of it here. You will read online about the Bobovr S3 Pro. It is super popular, a nice head strap, but quite bulky and large. This is especially so for a kid.
For a kid or teen, I would recommend some type of controller grip cover. Though there is a wrist strap that comes with the Quest 3 or 3s, kids aren’t always known to use them properly and damage to controllers happens. Most grip covers have a side hand strap that wraps around the hand and then wraps the controller a silicone cover that makes it much more grippy than just the controller by itself. There isn’t a big difference between the different companies. The silicone might feel slightly different between them. Just find something relatively cheap. Kiwi Design has my favourite feel with their G4 Pro Performance Grips.
A new facial interface is good because most of them come with a leather padding. This makes it really easy to wipe down and clean. The facial interface that comes with the Quest 3 or 3s is fabric and not really detachable to clean. AMVR has great affordable options for this. (Use my promo code BRIANSLOAN to get 10% off on the AMVR Shop)
I also added VR Golf Club onto the list as I’ve seen a lot of questions about them. If you’re child is into VR Golf games like Walkabout Mini Golf or Golf+, then a VR Golf Club is an awesome accessory to get. The top brand in my opinion is Yezro (Get 10% off on their website with code BRIANSLOAN). However, they are a little pricey. You can get some pretty cheap ones on Amazon that will make the golf games much more fun!
Other accessories add some convenience and fun but aren’t as important as the ones I mentioned above. You don’t need a charging station. But I would recommend having a spot where it is always put to charge. The controllers don’t come with rechargeable batteries, but you can purchase any normal rechargeable batteries to work with them.
Meta Quest 3/3s Accessory Reviews
7. Digital Citizenship
I wish I didn’t even have to include this one here but I feel the need to talk about it. I spent about 5 minutes in Horizon Worlds yesterday and I could not believe what was being said by some pretty young kids. Honestly, it’s disgusting that kids would talk that way. I would not want my child to ever be exposed to that. I didn’t even want to be exposed to it! Now, I have settings in place that mute everybody else around me in Worlds.
Please talk to your child/teen about being respectful online. Just because other people can’t see who you are, doesn’t mean in any way that you still don’t need to be a proper human being. I’m hoping this isn’t the problem when parents are actually around their kids playing. It seems to be more of an issue when kids are playing alone in their rooms or something.
I teach a Virtual Reality class at the school where I teach. One of the big lessons we do is about Digital Citizenship. I can do my best but what happens at home needs to be monitored by the parents/guardians.
8. Games/Apps/Experiences
As with any gaming system, there are many different types of games. However, with a Meta Quest VR, there are also many types of apps that I wouldn’t consider games and experiences that are available. There is a full internet browser available as well. I want to briefly but efficiently discuss some games to check out and other games that should possibly be avoided. Obviously, the choice is up to you and your parenting decisions.
Games/Apps That I Recommend
(Get 20% off any of these with code “TNORTHVR” on the Meta Store)
Now don’t get me wrong, there are a ton of great games, apps, and experiences. I’m just listing a few for you to check out right away. And depending on your child and their interests, you will definitely find others as well.
Games I Don’t Recommend:
- VRChat
- Population One
- Rec Room
- Many Horizon Worlds (Some are okay)
- Gorilla Tag
- Roblox
Concerning the games I don’t recommend, this is mainly because of the ability to have influence and interactions online. You don’t know who your child will come across. It is very easy to come across both adults and other children who are vulgar, inappropriate, and disrespectful. Personally, I would not want my child exposed to some of that so I would just not allow any type game like that at all. It isn’t always just what is being said, it can come across as hand gestures or inappropriate motions in these games. You can mute other players in many of these games so you can give some a shot if you would like. In the video above at 25:24 I show how to mute others in Horizon Worlds as not all Horizon Worlds are bad.
Free Games/Apps to Check out:
Some apps I would describe more as experiences. There are meditation, exercise, travel, and educational apps. On YouTubeVR, there are so many 360 experiences that you can explore. Climb Mount Everest, go to the bottom of the ocean, be in the Amazon Rain Forest, and so much more. It is quite fascinating the things you can experience in YouTubeVR. Spend some time exploring these with your child.
9. Discounts
Never pay full price for a game or app. There are always discounts going around.
With my promo code “TNORTHVR” you can get 20% off most apps/games until the end of 2025. After January 1, 2026 it will be back to 10%. It can be used multiple times and doesn’t expire.
For the few games that it doesn’t work on, which is usually brand new games, you can search online for a Referral Code from someone who already has the game. If you then connect with that person and use their link, you can usually get a discount as well.
If you are looking for discounts on accessories, I’ve got promo codes for most of the top brands to get you anywhere from 10-20% off on their websites. But I would encourage you to check on Amazon and wait for the various sales that happen there too.
10. Alternate Method
Now there is another way that you can moderate what your child does that is much easier than all of the extra set up you need to do with child/teen accounts, etc. However, it doesn’t require more trust and possibly much more attention.
You can set the headset up just to your account. An adult account. Inside your own account you will still have the ability to set up a PIN for purchasing (which I have on mine even though my kids don’t use it). A PIN can also be set up to open certain apps. So they can be on your account but not able to get into certain apps unless you put in the PIN. You can change your settings for Horizon Worlds to not hear or be able to talk to others as well. If you are always going to be with them when they are using it, I don’t see anything wrong just having your own account and them being on it. Would I give them free rein on it, probably not, but under supervision it works great.
FAQs about the Meta Quest 3 and 3s
- Should I buy the Meta Quest 3 or the Meta Quest 3s?
If this is the first time your child will be using VR, I would recommend the Meta Quest 3s. It is much cheaper and will allow your child to try VR before putting more money into it. The Quest 3 is better in just about every way (except the battery life), but it comes at a cost.
- How big of storage should I get?
The answer to this depends a little bit on two things. First, how many games/apps do you think you will end up getting? And second, what is your internet speed? You can’t expand the storage later so what you buy is what you get.
If you know your child will want a lot of games, then go for the bigger size. Games are only getting larger as they get better so it is better to be prepared.
The answer does depend a little on your internet speed. If you have fast internet, you can easily delete and re-install games without waiting for too long. If you have slower internet, then constantly deleting and re-installing to make space will end up taking a lot of time and foresight. I have slower internet and wish I would have bought the larger size because I have too many games for the amount of space I have available.
- Do I need to buy anything else other than the head set?
No, you don’t need to buy anything else to get going. It comes with the head set, controllers, and charging cable. As I discussed int he Accessories section, there are a lot of add-ons you can get, but they aren’t necessary just to get going.
- Can I see what my child is doing in real time?
Yes, you can! Head up to the Casting/Streaming section to read all about it. You will need the Horizon App on your mobile device for the easiest way to do this.
- What games should I get?
Check out the games section above.
- What games should I avoid?
Check out the games section above.
- Are there any discounts for games?
Yes, there are always discounts for games floating around. My promo code TNORTHVR will get you 20% almost any game/app in the Meta Store. After January 1, 2026 that discount will be back down to 10%. It can be used as much as you would like so if there isn’t a sale, at least use this code!
Check out the discounts section above for more discussion on this.
- What is Horizon Worlds? Is that all of the games?
Horizon Worlds is a place where users can create their own “worlds” for others to play in. These can range from anything to a Fishing Game, to the NBA world, and so much more. There are also Live Events that Meta puts on like concerts, shows, and more. Anyone can join these worlds which means you can interact with complete strangers. There are ways to turn off microphones and voices of other users though which is going to be important. Read above in the Settings section to find out how to do this.
- What Free Things Are There to Do?
Check out the games section above.
Leave a Reply