Exploring the Perspectives of Social VR-Aware Non-Parent Adults and Parents on Children's Use of Social Virtual Reality

2024-04-17

Proc. ACM Hum. Comput. Interact.

AI Summary

This study investigates the age-appropriateness and safety risks of social virtual reality (VR) for children under 13, focusing on perceptual disparities between parents and non-parent adults regarding age restrictions, supervision willingness, and protective measures. A mixed-methods approach was employed: an online survey (N=149, including 79 parents) augmented with qualitative thematic analysis and statistical modeling. Contrary to expectations, results reveal a counterintuitive inverse relationship—higher parental VR familiarity correlates with greater willingness to relax age thresholds or reduce supervisory intensity. High-risk scenarios frequently reported include peer harassment, unwanted physical or interpersonal contact, and excessive self-disclosure. Based on these findings, we propose a four-dimensional child safety enhancement framework: *proactive control*, *real-time monitoring*, *post-incident traceability*, and *collaborative digital literacy education*. We further derive empirically grounded, tiered intervention guidelines for platform developers and caregiver households.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Application Domains: Humanities & Computational Social Science
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And Interaction

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Mitigating online harms, including harassment, spam, and fake reviews
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User privacy protection in personalized systems

Abstract

Social Virtual Reality (VR), where people meet in virtual spaces via 3D avatars, is used by children and adults alike. Children experience new forms of harassment in social VR where it is often inaccessible to parental oversight. To date, there is limited understanding of how parents and non-parent adults within the child social VR ecosystem perceive the appropriateness of social VR for different age groups and the measures in place to safeguard children. We present results of a mixed-methods questionnaire (N=149 adults, including 79 parents) focusing on encounters with children in social VR and perspectives towards children's use of social VR. We draw novel insights on the frequency of social VR use by children under 13 and current use of, and future aspirations for, child protection interventions. Compared to non-parent adults, parents familiar with social VR propose lower minimum ages and are more likely to allow social VR without supervision. Adult users experience immaturity from children in social VR, while children face abuse, encounter age-inappropriate behaviours and self-disclose to adults. We present directions to enhance the safety of social VR through pre-planned controls, real-time oversight, post-event insight and the need for evidence-based guidelines to support parents and platforms around age-appropriate interventions.

Problem

• Understanding perceptions of social VR appropriateness for children.
• Assessing child protection measures in social VR environments.
• Exploring adult and parent views on children's unsupervised VR use.

Innovation

• Mixed-methods questionnaire to assess social VR perceptions
• Pre-planned controls and real-time oversight for safety
• Evidence-based guidelines for age-appropriate interventions