The Disconnect between Real and Virtually Real Worlds: The Challenges of Using VR with Adolescents

Industry projections suggest the commercial usage of virtual reality (VR) headsets will increase steadily over the next five years, with more immersive, stand-alone headsets representing the bulk of purchases by consumers (Bolkan, 2018; Taylor, 2017; Lamkin, 2017; Orland, 2017). Whether individuals are watching 3608 videos on smartphone-based headsets or using standalone head-mounted displays (HMDs), virtual reality is becoming more widespread in healthcare, education, business, entertainment, and industry (CB Insights, 2017; Mujber, Szecsi, & Hashmi, 2004; Pantelidis, 2009; Psotka, 2013; Rizzo et al., 2013; Rizzo, Rizzo, Schultheis, Kerns, & Mateer, 2004). Increasingly, concerns have been brought up about the ethical usage of VR, both with vulnerable groups as well as the general population (Madary & Metzinger, 2016; Southgate, Smith, & Scevak, 2017). It is clear that the adolescent brain has unique features including heightened neuroplasticity, increased emotional intensity and reactivity, and increased ability to learn (Casey, Jones, & Hare, 2008; Jensen & Nutt, 2015; Southgate et al., 2017; Steinberg, 2014). Though age recommendations are given by all manufacturers of VR hardware, they vary from child-appropriate to those recommended for age 13 years or above due to concerns about effects on ocular development and maturity of content (Gent, 2016); yet at the same time, VR headsets are being marketed as educational tools for children. Often, users disregard the warnings and allow younger children to engage with content and hardware that may not be recommended for their age group. We believe there is a gap in understanding between the potential psychological, physiological, and emotional impact of virtual reality hardware on children and adolescents, and what research actually makes its way to developers, users, parents, and guardians. Through four years of applied research on learning and VR, VR focus groups with adolescents, and experimental work with adults, we have observed thousands of people using and interacting with commercial content in VR, often in everyday settings such as schools or clubs. In our work with virtual reality, particularly with adolescents, we have observed some interesting disconnects between the expected outcome of particular pieces of content versus the actual experience of the adolescent user in VR. VR presents a number of innovative elements that provide rich opportunities for the medium to be an effective learning tool including simulations, exposure to novel situations, and engagement with learners in ways not allowed for by traditional mediums (Castaneda, Cechony, Bautista, & Pacampara, 2017). At the same time, our data also suggest that research done in applied settings may usefully supplement laboratory findings by revealing validation of experimental findings, or inconsistencies which can recommend further areas for investigation in real-world environments.