Health and Safety of VR Use by Children in an Educational Use Case

The present study examined the potential health and safety effects of short-term virtual reality (VR) use by children in an educational use case scenario (that is, relatively brief episodes of use across a limited number of sequential days), such as how VR may be used in the classroom or at a museum. Ophthalmological, vestibular functioning, balance, hand-eye coordination, 3D spatial representation, and subjective comfort effects were assessed using a variety of optometric, psychophysical, and self-report measures. Thirty child participants (ages 10 to 12 years) were immersed in VR for 30 minutes daily across five consecutive days of use. Measurements were taken prior to the onset of VR use (baseline), at the end of the fifth day of VR use (to assess potential acute effects), and 24 hours after the fifth day of VR use (to assess potential longer-lasting effects).There were no statistically significant adverse effects found, with the exception of slightly elevated scores on a self-reported measure of subjective comfort, which, however, were below the range of scores reported in past research as being indicative of subject discomfort. In other words, the current study found no empirical evidence that short-term use of VR in an educational use setting by children ages 10 through 12 years is associated with any adverse visual, spatial representational, or balance aftereffects, or that it causes undue nausea, oculomotor discomfort, or disorientation. The present study does not address longer-term use or potential psychological effects of different VR content.

1 Introduction

There is much speculation in the popular press about the potential health and safety consequences of virtual reality (VR) use [1],[2]. At the same time, there is little published scientific data on this topic, at least with regard to the current generation of consumer-grade VR devices, which have outpaced their predecessor devices of decades past, in terms of quality, comfort, and perceptual realism. With the continued ascent of VR as an emerging consumer technology with potential widespread applications, it becomes increasingly important to bring to bear scientific data on the speculation that exists about whether VR can be used safely and without undue adverse effects in specific settings. Indeed, VR is already being used in a variety of settings and by a variety of user types, including, for example, as a research tool to study various behaviors in children [3]–[5]. Another setting of potential widespread interest is an educational use case [6]. Teachers may want to employ VR to transport students into a specific geographic region or a particular historical moment with an unprecedented degree of realism and sense of presence. Similarly, museums may wish to augment their physical displays by curating virtual exhibits, presented in VR. Students may return to the museum on multiple sequential days during a field trip or as part of a museum-based class; or teachers may want to spend several days on the same topic, using VR on multiple days.