Research indicates that participation in metaverse environments and with virtual reality
(VR) is increasing among younger populations, and that youth may be the primary
drivers of widespread adoption of these technologies. This will more readily happen
if their experiences are safe, secure, and positive. We analyze data from a nationally
representative sample of 5005, 13- to 17-year-olds in the United States to measure
their experiences of 12 specific harms on VR platforms, and which protective strategies
they employed to prevent or respond to them. Girls were more likely to be sexually
harassed and to experience grooming/predatory behavior, and were more likely to
have been targeted specifically because of their gender. Finally, girls were more likely to
engage in some specific protective measures online, but overall both boys and girls use
platform safety mechanisms infrequently. We discuss enhancements in policy, content
moderation, and feature sets that can serve to better safeguard youth in the metaverse.
Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2024). Metaverse Risks and Harms Among US youth: Experiences, Gender Differences, and Prevention and Response Measures. New Media and Society, 1-22. DOI: 10.1177/14614448241284413
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