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.