for kids? We asked the experts
For decades now, we have imagined a future where we can connect to a fully three-dimensional virtual world. Virtual reality opens the door to true escape with a whole new level of immersive experience. It will allow us to be with people , to attend events and visit places that are physically out of reach. The educational possibilities are endless, but as the excitement surrounding the dawn of virtual reality continues to build, there is a group that could be left out: children.
The majority of VR headset manufacturers set age limits. The Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR headset have an age rating of 13+. Sony PlayStation VR should not be used by children under 12 years old. And while HTC doesn't specify an age limit, it does caution against using the Vive by young children.
Disappointed parents and frustrated children everywhere are wondering why these age limits were set. What are the risks? Is it a precautionary measure, arbitrary legalese, or is there there a real danger?
New does not mean dangerous
"So far I have not seen any so-called smoking guns, any concrete evidence that a child of a certain age has been affected in any way by wearing a VR headset. “, Martin Banks, professor of optometry, vision sciences, psychology and neurosciences at the University of California, Berkeley told Digital Trends. “I guess all they do is say that children develop and that development slows when they reach adolescence. let them use it.
It's no surprise that VR headset manufacturers are cautious. Virtual reality is relatively new, and we don't yet know much about the long-term effects, especially on children.
"There's very good evidence, especially in children, that if you're doing what's called proximity work, where you're looking at something up close, like reading a book very closely or looking at a cell phone, it causes the eye to elongate and that makes the eye myopic,” explains Professor Banks.
Nearsightedness, or nearsightedness, is where near objects appear clear, but far objects appear blurry. It has been on the rise in recent years.
to study
in the United States found that myopia among people aged 12 to 54 rose from 25 percent in 1971-1972 to 41.6 percent in 1999-2004. There are many
proof
linking this tendency to proximity work, such as reading or using a computer.
The damage occurs when a child focuses on something nearby for long periods of time, so it's understandable that some fear VR headsets will make the problem worse. The screen is only two inches from the eyes of the user. But the technology is more complex than that.
"Let's compare a child using a VR headset to a child using a smartphone. When they're using the smartphone, they're usually holding it very close to them and therefore need to focus their eye up close," says Professor Banks. "You might think that with the VR headset they would have to do the same thing because the image is close to the eye, but [VR headsets] have optics in the setup that make the stimulus effectively far away, so in terms of there where the eye needs to focus, you actually need to focus far enough to sharpen the image in the headset.
This means that VR headsets may be less of a problem than books or smartphones. But what about other risks that may be more serious to a child's sight development?
The virtual can detect real vision problems very early
"In the real world, the two eyes have slightly different points of view," Professor Peter Howarth, senior lecturer, optometrist and vision expert, told Digital Trends. sensory ability to judge depth using stereopsis. I don't see that intermittent use of a virtual reality system by a normal child would negatively impact this.
VR headsets essentially mimic the way our eyes already work by showing each eye a slightly different image, allowing us to perceive depth.
“The ability to see detail depends on producing a sharp image on the developing retina. Again, intermittent use of a VR system should not interfere with this, although image quality was far from perfect," says Professor Howarth.
VR devices can mimic equipment used to treat orthoptic problems, such as lazy eyes. So it's possible that virtual reality headsets could help diagnose eye problems, and even treat them, rather than cause them. .
“Manufacturers could incorporate vision testing and allow people to see that they might have a problem and should see an eye doctor,” Professor Banks suggests.
It remains to be seen if any RV manufacturer will go down this route. And there is always the risk that bad optical hardware will make an undiagnosed problem worse.
Most known risks are shared with adults
“There will be issues for children that are the same as for adults, and one of them is vision-induced motion sickness (VIMS),” Prof Howarth explains. that the image you are viewing gives the brain the visual cues it receives when you are actually moving - and these can cause motion sickness."
So far there has been no so-called smoking gun.
In other words, if you get sick on a roller coaster, chances are you will get sick on a virtual coaster. There are also issues when the visual images presented by the VR headset are inconsistent.
"When you move your head and they try to update the image, so the image seems to be a stable part of the world. If they don't do it right, if there's a time lag or s 'they don't move the image the right amount, people susceptible to motion sickness may be susceptible to nausea, headaches and stuff like that with VR headsets,' says Professor Banks.
Nausea isn't the only hazard that arises from the separation of real and virtual words. Collisions with nearby objects are a concern.
“By wearing headsets and moving physically to navigate a virtual world, there is a risk of colliding with the real world,” psychology and human factors expert Dr. Cyriel Diels told Digital Trends. "I don't really see how it would be any different for children, other than potential health and safety issues, which may have different ramifications for children than for adults."
In other words, an adult will probably be fine if they walk headfirst into a library, but a child will not. Some headsets attempt to account for this issue. HTC Vive maps your surroundings with sensors and will warn you when you approach something by making it bleed in the virtual world. But the risk remains, because the technology is not perfect and children do not always heed warnings.
Finally, the virtual world can have a lingering impact on users after they disconnect. to adjust.
“Some people may experience sequelae that can affect motor control (hand-eye coordination, postural stability),” says Dr. Diels. be affected, such as driving or using certain machines.”
Kids are safe to use VR, but still expect caution
It seems a shame to impose a blanket ban on children when there is no real evidence that virtual reality is more dangerous than a book or a tablet. The fear of litigation certainly contributes to the modern obsession with health and safety and our culture is becoming more risk averse as we increasingly seek to wrap our children in cotton wool.
However, the lack of long-term studies on the possible impact of VR headsets may urge caution, at least for now.
“In my opinion, it's more lawyers talking than scientists talking,” Prof Banks says. “But never say never. we can't know.
Editors' Recommendations
The best movies on Disney+ right now
The 52 best shows on Amazon Prime Video right now
The best Netflix original movies
Best blue light glasses for 2021
Arcadia.tv merges sports and esports to make Tron a reality