Meta is set to introduce new personal boundary features to its metaverse virtual reality platform Horizon Worlds.

Horizon Worlds, released in December 2021, allows users to interact with each other in an online world using the BigTech’s Oculus headsets.

The new feature prevents avatars from coming within a set distance of each other, creating more personal space for people and making it easier to avoid unwanted interactions according to Meta.

The move comes as some users of virtual reality tech have flagged issues about sexual harassment and safety.

The BigTech firm said the new feature prevents anyone from invading your avatar’s personal space.

If someone tries to enter your personal boundary, Meta said the system will halt their forward movement as they reach the boundary.

The news comes as Meta continues to face regulatory scrutiny within the UK.

The BigTech was fined £1.5 million by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) towards the end of last week after it failed to tell the regulator about key staff leaving the company.

"Virtual reality can and should be for everyone," said Vivek Sharma, vice president at Horizon. "And we’re constantly working to improve people’s experience in VR, gathering feedback from the community to inform our work as we continue to iterate and make improvements.

"We believe Personal Boundary is a powerful example of ho¬¬w VR has the potential to help people interact comfortably. It’s an important step, and there’s still much more work to be done.”

He added: “We’ll continue to test and explore new ways to help people feel comfortable in VR.”

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