As virtual reality games and devices find their way into more and more American living rooms, parents are struggling with what role the relatively new technology should have in their children’s lives.

A whopping 60 percent of parents are worried about the VR’s health effects, according to a new study from Common Sense Media, while others hope the emerging technology will have profound educational benefits because of its highly-engaging nature.

“It is critical for parents and educators to be aware of VR’s powerful effects, as we still don’t know enough about how this highly immersive medium affects the developing brain,” says Jim Steyer, founder of Common Sense Media, which released the study Wednesday. “We also know that, based on early research on the impact of VR on children’s health, there is a need for caution when it comes to its use by young children.”

Stanford researchers partnered with Common Sense Media, which has done extensive research on children’s media use, to examine the impact of VR on children. Their report includes a national survey of 12,148 adults, 3,613 of whom were parents.

VR is likely to have a powerful effect on young children, who may have a hard time telling VR fantasies from reality, the report found. But that vividness is also one of the reasons VR can be used as an effective teaching tool, says Stanford professor Jeremy Bailenson, one of the authors of the report.

“We know people learn from it,” he says. “It’s a very compelling medium.”

Gretchen Walker, vice president of learning at San Jose’s Tech Museum, which has many virtual reality exhibits, believes the technology can help children experiment.

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“With VR you can give someone a full body experience,” she says. “You can let kids design an environment and then have them walk through a 3-D model of it. That’s a powerful tool for envisioning.”

Caden Stark, 14, was beyond thrilled with his experience in a two-minute flight simulator at the Tech called “Birdly” where he got to flap his arms and soar over New York City.

“It was totally a blast. VR lets you do things that humans can’t really do,” said the middle schooler from Scotts Valley. “If I could have a super power, I’d want to fly.”

But many parents are wary. While the study notes that 21 percent of households with children already have a VR device and 13 percent are planning to get one, Common Sense found that many parents are scared of exposing their children to such intense experiences.

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting the kids play with it. It seems unnecessary to expose them to something likely harmful to their brains just for some entertainment,” says Bethany Cardwell, a mother of two little girls who lives in Discovery Bay. “The warnings are about nausea, dizziness, blackouts. It’s clearly not good for the brain, especially one that’s developing.”

Bailenson, founder of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, acknowledged the long term effects of VR on developing brains remain unknown. But short term impacts can include dizziness, headache and eye strain.



“We wanted to help parents understand what this thing is and what the safety rules are,” he says, noting that he has two children 6 and 4, who have used VR in a very limited manner. He has also brought VR into classrooms and used it to train athletes.

Time limits are crucial for children, he said, but even adults need to take breaks to avoid sensory overload. Five minutes can be an eternity in VR and its simulations can be much scarier for children than tradiional video games. Parents should also make sure children are in a safe space, free from pets, walls and sharp edges. Baileson recommends having a spotter in the room to avoid accidents.

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While 62 percent of parents surveyed believe that VR can provide educational experiences, only 22 percent reported their child actually used VR for learning. The vast majority play games.

VR also has the potential to encourage empathy among small children, experts say, because it builds bonds with virtual characters and settings, though parents surveyed by Common Sense remain skeptical.

VR has become part of a larger debate over how much parents should limit screen time. Common Sense has reported that teenagers spend seven hours a day in front of screens, while kids under 8 get about two hours.

Walker, however, suggests that children who grow up in a tech-heavy culture like the Bay Area may not be as vulnerable to its thrall. Her own daughter Sydney, 8, begged to watch some of the Olympics in VR. At first she thought it was “cool and fun” but she eventually got bored and went back to the flat-screen experience.

“Honestly I’m more worried about the adults than the kids,” she says. “Children will always choose to play with other children over screens but adults are obsessed with technology.”

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That’s just how Valeria Tellez feels. The 17-year-old took part in a virtual design lab at the Tech in which she crafted an amusement park that included a “chill” room for kids with disabilities, but she remains unimpressed by the power of VR.

“I don’t really like technology,” says the high school student from Ceres. “I think we all need to disconnect from tech and socialize with other people in the real world.”