NEWS$show=/search/label/news

Here's where you'll find all the latest news about technology for children. We love to follow cool new inventions on Kickstarter and we hunt out all the latest announcements about tech toys and gadgets for the coming Christmas holidays. You'll also get our take on children's technology stories in the media.

REVIEWS$show=/search/label/review

Our kids technology product reviews are intended to help you work out whether a toy, gadget or kit is a good fit for your child or family. There's lots of cool stuff available, but is it the right choice for the child or teenager that you are buying for? We'll help you make the right choices and get the best value for money.

GIFT GUIDES$show=/search/label/gift%20guide

Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends assemble. We create gift lists to help you make good choices for kids technology which helps them develop the right skills for the future. We research the best in Coding Toys and Games, Making / Craft Tools and Kits, STEM/STEAM related gifts, Programmable Robots, Electronics Kits and Gadgets for Tech Age Kids and Teens.

PROJECTS$show=/search/label/project

Get crafty with technology. Here we'll post all our ideas and projects using technology to get creative and making with kids. You'll find anything from making a lemon battery to a glow-in-the-dark Minecraft sword. Our projects are tried and tested on our own kids or at events we run, so we are sure you can have a go at home with your kids. Some of our projects use specific tech gadgets which we provide links for you to purchase.

STEM$show=/search/label/stem

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In recent years there is an increased focus in these areas of study. We like to include Art and Design too, so we often talk about STEAM (A stands for Art). At Tech Age Kids we believe Coding is a new literacy and children need to understand how technology works, practice making skills and grow in their curiosity to make a better future for us all.

CODING$show=/search/label/coding

Coding is increasingly being recognised as an important skill for children to learn. Some will learn to code at school or at a coding club, but it's brilliant if they get support at home too.

ELECTRONICS$show=/search/label/electronics

We think it's really important for kids to get hands-on with electronics and learn how to make circuits and write code to control hardware. Younger kids can start with conductive playdough. For kids who like to combine craft and tech, littleBits are fab. And we love SAM Labs wireless electronics components for making it easy for kids to make Internet of Things inventions. Lots of electronics kits for kids have support for the Arduino microprocessor environment. The DuinoKit Jr is one of our favourites. Arduino is a fab skill for older kids and teens to develop.

ROBOTICS$show=/search/label/robotics

We love robots at Tech Age Kids, especially programmable ones. We've got lots of them and write reviews and projects that use them. Our programmable robots for kids buying guide is a good place to start if you're not sure what's available. Roby the mBot Meccano robot dog is one of our popular projects and has been with us to lots of events. Our Ozobot LEGO trailer is fab for kids who love LEGO and robots.

MAKING AND CRAFT$show=/search/label/making

We're advocates of the creative use of technology, but this needs to be balanced with developing physical skills such as papercraft, woodwork, clay modelling, technical drawing and soldering. If children don't develop these skills as they grow up then physical making projects can become frustrating rather than fun. The Maker Community uses the term 'making' as a broad term to include all sorts of artisan skills or craft activities. Being able to make things can lead to life-long hobbies or even careers. It's a great feeling to be able to take a project from an idea in your head to a real object that does something. We're particularly interested to explore products that combine maker skills with tech skills such as electronics but others focus purely on the physical making skills that are still important to modern making.

Meta (Oculus) Quest 2 VR Headset for Teens

Meta Oculus Quest VR Headset for teens.
The Meta (Oculus) Quest 2 VR headset is recommended for age 13+. Does it make a great gift for teens and their families? The quick answer is that, yes, we do recommend the Meta Quest 2 for teens if you don’t have any really specialist requirements and are looking for your first family VR headset. What should you consider before making a purchase? We’ve tried to cover all the things that it’s useful to know before you make a decision about a VR headset.  Update See our Meta Quest 3 review.

Meta (Oculus) Quest 2 name 

First of all, let’s clear up any confusion around the naming of this headset. It was launched as the Oculus Quest 2 and renamed the Meta Quest 2. It’s the same product, it was renamed as part of a branding exercise by Facebook. Just in case you were confused when reading about the topic. 

 Age recommendation 

And why is the headset recommended for age 13+? The official answer is that younger children are at more risk of injury and adverse effects. A very practical consideration is that the headset is quite large. There are also online safety factors to consider, particularly the ability to interact with others online and the difficulty supervising this activity. 

Key features 

  • The Meta Quest 2 is a standalone headset that does not require a gaming console or a PC. There is a phone app for setup but gameplay does not use a phone, the screen and computer are built into the headset. 
  •  The Meta Quest 2 is wireless. There are no wires connected when you are using the headset. This has been a game changer for us. 
  • The headset itself charges via a USB-C cable and the controllers use AA batteries (there are add-on solutions for charging without batteries and a cable.) 
  •  There’s a large and growing library of official apps and games as well as less-well-tested app lab games. There is free content as well as paid content. 
  •  You set up a gaming boundary and get in-game warnings if you head outside this area. There’s also a ‘pass though’ mode where you can view your surroundings with the headset on. These features are pretty good at helping teens avoid crashing into things but care is still needed! 
  • You can have multiple family members using the same device and having access to games owned by the person with the admin account. 

 What can teens do with a Meta Quest 2 VR headset? 

  •  Gaming. Probably the obvious one, but the variety of game types is perhaps not so obvious. There are shooter games (with a range of age ratings), but there are also adventure and escape games, sports simulations such as bowling and golf, massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, and puzzle games. 
  • Experiences. There are apps that allow you to travel the world, immersive storytelling apps, and awareness-raising apps. Technologists and creatives are experimenting with how to use the VR platform and there’s lots of non-game content. 
  • Fitness and wellbeing. Many VR games involve moving around and there are lots designed specifically for fitness. This makes a VR headset an interesting option for a teen with a fitness or healthy weight loss goal. VR exercise can be done at home in all weather. There are also meditation and relaxation apps for well-being. 
  • Events. Increasingly music concerts and other events are being captured and shared in VR. Some are live, with others being available to view after the event. This can offer some really interesting experiences for teens from home. 
  • Education. VR is increasingly being considered an education platform. Mondly has a language learning app and the new Librarium app promises a range of educational content. This is going to be an interesting area for development. Art and creativity. The Meta Quest has a variety of creative apps for creating digital art and sculptures. 
  • Social. The Meta Quest has apps that allow virtual socialization. This can be great for groups of friends to meet up virtually but also brings risks that parents should be aware of. 
  • Coding. The Meta Quest is a surprisingly accessible platform for teens who want to create VR content. Check out our Halloween VR Coding project

Practicalities 

  • Should you be worried about teens crashing into things when they have the headset on? Well, it depends on your teen, but basically yes! Initially, we’d recommend another person in the room. We have also found that having a rug or exercise mat the size of the play area helps. We’ve also used folding sleeping mats to protect teens/furniture. Also, be aware of ceiling height if your teen is tall. 
  • Definitely encourage the use of the wrist straps so that it becomes routine to just use them. 

Comfort 

  • The Meta Quest 2 comes with an adapter for glasses wearers. There’s also an option to purchase prescription lenses to go inside the headset. 
  • There are games that can really make you sweat (yes, Les Mills Ultimate Body Combat, I’m talking about you). You may want to consider some sweatband eye masks which might look a bit daft but are worth it if you use the headset for exercise. 
  • There’s an official upgrade to the included elastic strap which offers more support and may be more comfortable. There’s also a version with a battery pack so consider whether you want the extra battery before purchasing. 
  • Some people will experience motion sickness when using VR. I am one of them! I can confirm that developers have got much better at this and there are now lots of games that I can play, but many that I can’t. If you think this may be an issue then start with a game such as Beat Saber that doesn’t have lots of camera movement rather than choosing an intense Roller Coaster as your first experience (not that we made this mistake …) 

Charging and power tips 

  • The headset plugs into a USB-C cable for charging and the controllers use AA batteries. If you prefer a charging stand without cables to connect or batteries to replace then Anker makes a smart-looking and really useful charging dock. 
  • The battery time should be sufficient for a single user. You can get an extra battery if multiple family members or groups of friends will be taking turns. 
  • There’s an auto-activate setting that can lead to the headset turning on when not in use and draining the battery. Turn it off! You can turn off this feature in the settings. In our experience, this is worth doing with teens who may forget to put the device on to charge, especially if there are multiple users. 
  • The Oculus Quest 2 battery lasts for about 2 hours of gaming (a bit longer for other activities) and takes about 2.5 hours for a full charge. So if it’s run out of charge completely expect over an hour’s charging to get an hour of gameplay. 

 Audio 

  • The Meta Quest 2 has audio built into the headset so you only need headphones or earphones to either improve the audio experience or avoid disturbing others (the sound isn’t loud to others but you can hear it.) 
  •  The Meta Quest 2 has a 3.5mm audio jack connector. Alternatively, you can plug USB-C headphones into the charging socket unless you have a strap with an extra battery pack. 
  •  Wireless headphones or earbuds are not supported but some will work for some apps (you can try pairing in the settings.) 

Sharing the device 

You can have multiple users on the same device. This was a key feature for us. They can each access content owned by the admin user (that would be me in our case). If you have an older teen who will be heading off to college and taking their device with them then you may want them to be the admin user and own their own apps. 

 Safety and controls 

In 2022, Meta added parental controls to the Meta Quest so that parents can restrict access to inappropriate content. Teens (ages 13-17) are able to request access to apps with higher age ratings. Meta has provided information on VR parental control features. 

Parents should also be aware that many games and apps have a social aspect with users being able to use a microphone to talk to others. There are also parental controls for social features. You should make sure you understand the social features of any apps that your teens have access to so you can make informed decisions about how they interact with others in virtual environments. 

 You may have heard that Meta (Oculus) Quest users require a Facebook account. This changed in 2022. Users now have the option of having a Meta account which does not have to be linked to social media accounts. This may be important to parents of teens. 

Using with a PC 

The Oculus Quest 2 is typically used as a standalone device without a games console or gaming PC. However, if you do have a gaming PC then the Quest 2 can connect to it for additional gaming options (via a cable or wirelessly.) This is a great feature that can really extend the use of the device in homes that have a suitable computer. 

Meta Quest 3? 

It’s important to know whether the tech you’re about to buy will soon be obsolete. While we can’t know for sure, it looks like it will be a while before there’s a next-gen budget VR headset from Oculus. 

However, if you’re interested in a higher-end device then Project Cambria (Meta Quest Pro) is coming soon. This is likely to have a much higher price tag than the Meta Quest 2 so isn’t a direct alternative - it’s a more specialist device rather than an entry-level VR headset. (I’m sure many teens will covet it but it’s a very different buying decision for families.) 

So it looks like the Meta Quest 2 will be the current model in the range for a while. There are so many of these headsets out there that they should remain well-supported for plenty of time. Meta Quest 2 Price The price of the Meta Quest 2 was increased in July 2022. This is quite unusual for a tech product. Meta has said that this increase will allow them to invest in the future of VR. 

You might feel like you missed out on the earlier price but the current experience is much better than when the device was first released. The ecosystem around the Meta Quest 2 is now much more established. When we first got ours the app and game options were somewhat limited and we didn’t feel there was enough choice. That has now changed and there are loads more titles available. Parental controls have also been added and the requirement for a Facebook account was removed. New buyers will also avoid the issues around the headset causing irritation for some users. To soften the blow of the price increase, Meta has announced that the Beat Saber game will be included with purchases in the remainder of 2022. This is a fab game and a great first VR experience for family and friends to try out. You still get a lot of tech for your money. 

Alternatives to the Meta Quest 2 

There are other VR headsets on the market, but at this point in time, we’d recommend the Meta Quest 2 as a great teen-friendly introduction to VR for families. The exception would be where you have techie teens with a specific interest in and knowledge about another platform and you have the budget to indulge them. For example, if they already have, or are getting a Playstation and want to be able to play games on that platform and understand that it’s a wired headset that requires the use of the games console. (We’ll cover the Playstation VR platform, which we also own, in another post.) Playstation VR is also recommended from age 12, rather than 13 which may be a factor for some families. Other VR headsets don’t have the market share of the Meta Quest 2 so you would need a specific reason to purchase one of these instead. 

Which version of the Meta Quest 2?

You can choose between a Meta Quest 2 with 128GB and one with 256GB of storage space with a cost of around $100 extra for the additional storage. Most single users should be fine with the smaller amount of storage. Choosing the larger device may be worthwhile if you have multiple users of the device with different interests and if you want to future-proof your purchase so that it lasts longer.

You can also choose from bundles with the strap for additional support and a case which is useful for travel. 


Overall impression 

The Meta Quest 2 is a great introduction to family-friendly VR gaming and experiences. We also have the Playstation VR headset and the Quest gets used more because it’s so quick to just grab it and start playing and you can still use it if someone else is using the Playstation.

24 days of Scratch coding book cover and cute penguin
Name

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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children: Meta (Oculus) Quest 2 VR Headset for Teens
Meta (Oculus) Quest 2 VR Headset for Teens
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Tech Age Kids | Technology for Children
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