Microsoft is confirming that the new additions of Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm will be restricted to gamers with Xbox Live Gold subscriptions and will be only for users over 18, at least for now.
Xbox's "Major Nelson" Larry Hryb says the move will ensure online safety for those under 18, but does say the Xbox team is working on an update that will allow parental controls to be added to the service through the console's "Family Settings."
"We made this decision because as it stands now, parents aren’t able to use Family Settings to customise which of these applications their children can access. In order to offer an age-appropriate environment for everyone, we decided to turn off these applications for those Gold members under the age of 18," says Hryb.
"We want to make sure everyone was aware, however, that the development team is working on an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access.
"This means that Xbox Live members between the ages of 13 and 17 will be able to use Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm as long as their parents approve. The team hope to roll this out several weeks after launch and I will update you on the exact date as it gets closer," he concludes.
"We made this decision because as it stands now, parents aren’t able to use Family Settings to customise which of these applications their children can access. In order to offer an age-appropriate environment for everyone, we decided to turn off these applications for those Gold members under the age of 18," says Hryb.
"We want to make sure everyone was aware, however, that the development team is working on an update that gives parents the choice of which social applications their children can access.
"This means that Xbox Live members between the ages of 13 and 17 will be able to use Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm as long as their parents approve. The team hope to roll this out several weeks after launch and I will update you on the exact date as it gets closer," he concludes.
