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Jul 14, 2023

4 Ways Virtual Reality Is Bad for You

VR headsets offer immersive entertainment and gaming experiences, but there are

VR headsets offer immersive entertainment and gaming experiences, but there are some potential negative effects to be aware of, too.

Virtual reality is really cool, right? You can strap on a fancy helmet, be a superhero, and go anywhere with a click. What's not to love? But do you know that it comes with some significant risks and concerns?

Don't panic; we don't intend to scare you into throwing your VR headset away. We are only exposing some of the hidden dangers of virtual reality that could make it less fun. These are the potential health effects to consider when using VR.

Prolonged use of wearable VR screens can leave you with eye strain and potentially cause fatigue, headaches, and blurred vision, according to research in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

That's not all; you can experience motion sickness using VR, which could result from your brain getting confused by the mismatch between what you see and feel. So, if you're moving in VR but standing still in real life, there can be a disruption in the balance system in your inner ear. This can progress into nausea, dizziness, and loss of balance, potentially causing you to bump into objects and people or fall and sustain bodily injuries.

Another physical health risk of VR is muscle strain. VR headsets are often heavy and can put pressure on your neck and spine. You can get shoulder discomfort and stiff joints—especially when staying in awkward positions for too long—or sustain injuries moving your arms and body in the 3D space.

Humanity relies on how we thrive in our social interactions and communication. The virtual world can give you intensely alluring adventures that may keep you in the simulated environment for long periods. However, being immersed extensively in VR can lead to self-isolation, where you prefer hanging out in the virtual world more than the real one.

This isolation can affect your ability to interact with real humans socially and emotionally. In extreme cases, face-to-face real-world interactions might become a big deal, as communication skills degenerate over time, and you tend to relate better with virtual avatars than humans.

Furthermore, VR technology has the potential to nurture cyberbullying and crime. The degree of anonymity given to users of the VR world empowers bullies without fear of repercussions. The immersive and heightened experience in the VR world also makes users feel more impulsive and a sense of being able to do anything to others in the form of verbal and emotional abuse.

A bullied victim can spiral down into depression, sadness, and low self-esteem. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of crime are likely to go scot-free as no criminal laws guide the virtual world. So, while VR offers most people some escapism and exciting experiences, some users have ill intentions against others.

The uncanny valley effect is the unsettling and eerie feeling you get when you observe human-like virtual characters. Virtual reality technology heightens this effect, which might cause unreasonable anxiety and unease.

VR technology also heightens the experience of frightening or violent content like horror scenes and thrill rides that evoke fear and anxiety. The intense sensory overload from thrilling scenes and the feeling of being transported to a virtual universe can make you agitated and even cause panic attacks for some users.

Meanwhile, you could lose touch with yourself and the physical world after spending too much time in virtual reality. This can further predispose you to confusion and emotional stress. Also, you should consider staying away from virtual reality if you are managing post-traumatic stress disorder. The realistic and immersive experience in the virtual world can trigger past traumas or re-traumatize you. The increased sensory stimuli in VR activities can cause your brain to produce more adrenaline and trigger a fight-or-flight response. These situations can cause mental stress and emotional distress.

Some people do use VR technology for therapy to confront their fears and phobias. The VR can help you overcome your fears in a simulated and controlled environment personalized according to your phobia. Without the proper guidance, though, this type of exposure can cause anxiety and reactions in people with PTSD. Even in therapeutic settings, you will still go through heightened fear and physiological responses like increased heart rate and sensory overload.

Another significant negative effect of wearable headsets is that VR technology can be addictive, especially for individuals with previous addictive behaviors. The desire to escape reality and the captivating nature of the virtual world can cause the compulsive use of VR. Being addicted to VR can affect your work life, relationship, and mental and physical health.

As virtual reality technology grows in popularity, it becomes an attraction for criminals to illegally benefit from it. VR devices tend to collect and store user information and data. When these data are not handled or secured correctly, they can fall into the hands of unauthorized entities. VR platforms are also highly susceptible to occasional bugs and outdated software vulnerabilities, leading to increased risk of cyber-attacks and threats.

Additionally, as VR environments encourage user-generated content and interactions between avatars, it is a breeding ground for social engineering attacks—psychological manipulations and trickery used to collect user-sensitive data. Criminals in the virtual world can exploit other users by gaining their trust and extracting their personal information for misuse.

Furthermore, virtual reality lacks a generalized privacy control system to manage users' sensitive information. The applications and platforms that collect data often use different protocols for security and privacy. This disparity causes inconsistency in user privacy protection and management.

Some VR headsets can even capture biometric data, revealing your identity, health, emotions, preferences, and personality. This data is useful for personalization, advertising, research, or diagnosis. But, if this data gets into the hands of unauthorized parties without your consent or knowledge, they can misuse it.

No doubt, virtual reality is fun and an immersive way to escape reality. But it also comes with risks and consequences. Before you put on that VR headset, pause and consider everything we have pointed out.

Is VR helping you be more productive and enhancing your entertainment experience? Or would you rather enjoy the real world with all its beauty and challenges? There is really no substitute for reality.

Oluwademilade is an MUO staff writer focused on everything tech. Since 2019, he has contributed to several websites, and prominent media outlets and professionals in the tech space have acknowledged his writing. Besides writing, Oluwademilade likes to read, play the bass guitar, and travel.