Safety of virtual reality use in children: a systematic review

The study aimed to systematically review available literature regarding the safety of virtual reality (VR) use via head-mounted display in children under 14 years of age. The study was a systematic review including all study designs. A search was conducted in January 2023 in PubMed and EMBASE using key terms referring to ‘virtual reality’, ‘paediatrics’ and ‘safety’.  Following title and abstract and full-text screening, data were extracted and a narrative synthesis undertaken. Twenty-six studies met criteria for inclusion in the final review.  Limited data suggest that VR may cause mild cybersickness symptoms (not severe enough to cause participants to discontinue use of VR) and that for children with existing amblyopia using VR may result in double vision, which resolves on cessation of VR exposure.  Two randomised control trials did not report differences in adverse events between the intervention (VR use) and control groups. Reporting of safety data was poor; only two studies used a validated measure, and in the remaining studies, it was often unclear how adverse events were defined (if at all), how they were categorised in terms of severity and how they were recorded.

     Conclusion: There is limited evidence regarding any potential harms from short exposure to VR in children under 14 years under supervision. Additional research is required to understand increases in cybersickness during and after VR exposure, and the impact of repeated exposure.  Adverse events need to be accurately and routinely recorded to determine any hitherto unknown safety concerns for children < 14 years using VR.