VR and the Metaverse: Safety Risks for Children and Teenagers in Virtual Worlds

The Rise of Virtual Reality and the Metaverse for Young People

Virtual reality (VR) and metaverse platforms have moved from science fiction to mainstream consumer products at remarkable speed. Platforms such as Meta's Horizon Worlds, Roblox's virtual experiences, Rec Room, VRChat, and the broader ecosystem of social VR applications are attracting millions of young users worldwide. As hardware becomes more affordable and the experiences more sophisticated, the number of children and teenagers spending significant time in virtual environments is growing rapidly.

For many young people, these platforms offer genuinely positive experiences: creative exploration, social connection, immersive gaming, and educational opportunities. However, the specific characteristics of immersive virtual environments, particularly the sense of physical presence they create, introduce safety risks that differ meaningfully from those of conventional social media or gaming platforms.

What Makes VR Environments Uniquely Risky

The Sense of Physical Presence

The defining characteristic of VR is immersion. When a young person is wearing a headset and interacting in a virtual environment, the brain partially processes the experience as if it were physical. Research from organisations including Stanford University's Virtual Human Interaction Lab has shown that experiences in VR have real psychological effects comparable in some ways to physical real-world experiences.

This means that harassment, sexual gestures, boundary violations, and distressing content experienced in VR can have a more significant psychological impact than the same content encountered on a flat screen. The felt sense of being physically present in an environment where something uncomfortable happens makes the experience more real to the person experiencing it.

Age Verification Failures

VR platforms face the same fundamental age verification challenges as other online platforms, with the added complexity that the hardware is often shared or owned by adults in the household. A VR headset purchased by a parent may be used by their child without the protective restrictions that might be in place on a smartphone. Many platforms rely on self-reported age at account creation, which is trivially easy to falsify.

Unmoderated and Difficult-to-Moderate Spaces

Conventional social media platforms can moderate text and images with significant automation support. VR environments, particularly social ones, consist of real-time physical interactions in three-dimensional space. Moderating these interactions at scale is significantly more difficult. The result is that many virtual spaces have weak or inconsistent moderation, creating environments where inappropriate behaviour by adults can occur with limited consequence.

Documented Safety Incidents in VR

The harms associated with VR platforms are not hypothetical. Since social VR platforms became widely accessible, multiple types of serious incidents have been documented:

Sexual Harassment and Virtual Groping

Multiple young people, including minors, have reported experiencing what is described as virtual groping or sexual harassment in VR environments. While no physical contact occurs, the felt sense of presence means these experiences can be genuinely distressing. Reports from platforms including Meta's Horizon Worlds, VRChat, and others have described adults making sexually explicit gestures or comments directed at younger users who had no means of immediate escape.

Predatory Contact and Grooming

The immersive, social nature of VR platforms creates an environment where the grooming dynamic can develop in a more vivid and immediate way than on conventional messaging platforms. Conversations in VR have a different quality to text exchanges; they are more intimate and personal. Adults seeking to groom young people have been identified operating in VR environments, using the technology's capacity for closeness and connection.

Exposure to Extreme Content

Many social VR platforms allow user-generated content with minimal oversight. This means that young people exploring these environments can encounter sexually explicit content, violent scenarios, or other material that is clearly inappropriate for minors.

Specific Platform Considerations

Meta Quest and Horizon Worlds

Meta has invested in safety features for its VR ecosystem following significant criticism of incidents involving minors. These include a personal boundary feature that creates a default distance between avatars, reporting and blocking tools, and parental supervision capabilities. However, implementation has been inconsistent and the parental controls require active setup by a technically capable adult.

Roblox VR

Roblox has a broad child user base and has invested significantly in safety infrastructure, including chat filters and age-appropriate experiences. Its VR integration inherits some of these protections. However, the quality of safety measures varies by individual experience, and the platform's open user-generated content model means new experiences can be created and accessed before moderation catches up.

VRChat and Rec Room

These platforms attract a largely older teen and adult user base and have comparatively weaker age-based protections. They offer rich social experiences but are less appropriate for younger teenagers without careful supervision and configuration.

Practical Safety Measures for Families

Set Up Parental Controls Before First Use

Every VR platform has parental control options, but they must be actively configured. Set them up before your child uses the device, not as a response to an incident. Key controls include content restrictions, communication restrictions, and spending limits for in-app purchases.

Establish Clear Rules About Platform Use

Discuss with your child which platforms and which types of experiences are acceptable, and which are not. Set clear expectations about who they can interact with (known friends versus strangers) and what kinds of experiences are appropriate.

Know the Physical Boundaries

VR headsets are typically used in physical spaces where the user cannot see their real-world surroundings. Ensure your child uses VR in a space where you can occasionally check in without requiring them to remove the headset, and where they have adequate physical space to move safely.

Monitor Time and Emotional State

Extended VR use can cause disorientation, nausea, and in some research, effects on body image and spatial perception. Monitor how long your child spends in VR sessions and pay attention to their emotional state after use. If they seem distressed after a VR session, ask what they experienced.

Maintain an Open Channel for Reporting

As with all online experiences, the most important protective factor is a young person who knows they can come to a trusted adult if something uncomfortable happens. This requires adults who respond calmly and supportively rather than with punishment or device removal as a first response.

The Future of VR and Young People

VR and metaverse technologies are going to play an increasingly significant role in how young people learn, socialise, and play. The answer is not to prevent access but to ensure that the regulatory, technical, and educational frameworks keep pace with the technology.

Advocacy by parents, educators, and child safety organisations for better built-in protections, more robust age verification, and stronger platform moderation is part of the long-term solution. In the immediate term, informed family engagement, active use of available parental controls, and ongoing conversation are the most effective available tools.