Facebook's parent Meta Platforms said on Friday it is launching a tool for people using its virtual reality (VR) social platforms to maintain personal space boundaries, as concerns have mounted about user safety and sexual harassment in the metaverse.

Its new "personal boundary" tool will make users feel like they have nearly four feet (1.2 meters) between their virtual avatars and others when they access the immersive Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues apps through VR headsets.

The company said in a blog post that this new default setting would make it easier to avoid unwanted interactions. 

It said that the new tool built on its current "hand harassment measures," where an avatar's hands would disappear if they invaded someone's personal space. It also currently has a "Safe Zone" feature where people can activate a bubble around their avatar if they feel threatened.

The change comes as users of VR platforms including Horizon Worlds have raised alarms about virtual groping and other abusive behavior.

Shares of Meta, which is pouring billions of dollars into its metaverse ambitions, plummeted 26 percent on Thursday in the biggest single-day slide in market value for a U.S. company, after the social media giant issued a dismal forecast, blaming Apple's privacy changes and increased competition.

The company has long been under scrutiny from global lawmakers and regulators over its handling of problematic content and abuses on its existing social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.