Should Children Use VR Headsets?

Doctors are concerned that VR headsets will alter the way the brain accepts and processes visual information.

15:45 16 November 2016

Many top-selling VR headsets are made for children 12 years and above. Although more research has to be done to assess their long-term effects, doctors are concerned that the devices will alter the way the brain accepts and processes visual information. 

 

VR headsets are designed to immerse users in a game of app, making the experience so real that they forget they have the headgear on at all. The VR market, which is focused on video gaming, attracts young gamers who are still developing their focus, tracking and depth perception. 

 

Dr Joseph Rizzo, a doctor at Massachusetts Ear and Eye Centre, said: 'This is a big area of both interest and some concern.

 

'There's a legitimate question about whether that much exposure to artificial visual stimuli will alter the way the brain accepts and processes visual information.

 

'It's an unknown.'

 

'The immediate concerns are with the younger users because they will be prone to use them for much longer periods of time.

 

Meanwhile, In a blog on its website, Essilor, an optical lens provider, said: 'Easy ways to combat this ocular stress include having your child's vision checked before school starts, encouraging 20-second breaks from screens every 20 minutes and making longer breaks where they perform physical activities mandatory.'