Sex Rooms And Rape: Researcher Unearths Metaverse's Dangers To Kids

Web 3.0's dreams are coming to life with various metaverses that are propping up around in the digital landscape. Now, a new enquiry into the threats of metaverse(s) found how kids may be exposed to sexually explicit content, racism, grooming, and rape threats in virtual reality.

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Metaverse: A toxic combination of risks

Spearheaded by a BBC researcher who posed as a 13-year-old girl, the study unearthed a "toxic combination of risks" for kids who may be logging into metaverse. Using a metaverse app with a minimum age requirement of 13, the researcher was able to visit digital rooms where sexual simulation was taking place, and she was exposed to various sex toys and condoms and even approached by several adult men.

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Also read: Ransomware To Speedy 5G Attacks: A Security Pioneer's Take On Metaverse Dangers

Known as VRChat, the app is a digital virtual reality platform that users can explore with their 3D avatars. The researcher was not only able to create a fake profile to set up an account, but her identity was not at all verified - highlighting the absence of security measures to protect kids.

According to BBC, "children mix freely with adults" on VRChat. While the app itself is not created by Meta/Facebook, it may be used on the company's Meta Quest headset with no age checks in place.

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Metaverses are highly immersive digital environments. Kids exposed to sex would essentially be acting out sexual movements to "play" on VR platforms. The researcher highlighted how as she moved through different rooms that were modelled around red light districts, characters were engaging in sex acts in "big groups," with one's options being to "stay and watch, move on to another room where you might see something similar, or join in."

Also read: 25 Percent Of World Will Spend At Least 1 Hour Daily In Metaverse By 2026: Report

Social media giants like Facebook have been under the radar for not doing enough to protect kids on their existing technology. Many fear that these concerns will spill over to the metaverses of the digital world.

What do you think about the dangers of metaverses for kids? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Smith, B. A. C. A. T. (2022, February 23). Metaverse app allows kids into virtual strip clubs. BBC News.