Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Xbox Live Blocks Kids Under 18 From Facebook and Twitter Apps

by JP Mangalindan on November 9, 2009 at 08:36 AM

In a move that should make extroverted Xbox Live members happy, Microsoft will add Facebook and Twitter functionality to the next Dashboard update, currently being tested in public previews. But underage teens will get a cold dose of reality when they find they can't log onto the social networks from their favorite console.

Microsoft has blocked kids under 18 from accessing the popular social networking apps, though Facebook lets kids as young as 13 open accounts, and Twitter currently has no age restriction rule. Why? "Parents aren't able to use Family Settings to customize which applications their children can access," wrote Xbox Live Director of Programming Larry Hryb on his blog. "To offer an age-appropriate environment for everyone, we decided to turn these applications off for [Xbox Live] Gold members under the age of 18."

Hryb promises a solution is on the way: a future Dashboard update with proper parental controls. When that rolls out, teens will be able to Facebook and Twitter as much as they want, just so long as their parents approve. But for now, they'll have to log in the old-fashioned way: on their computer. [From: CNET and Major Nelson]

Tags: top, xbl, xbox live, XboxLive

Comments

2

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular