Supporting A Safe and Healthy Immersive Environment for Teenagers

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Abstract

Immersive technologies, such as social virtual reality (VR), can revolutionize how people interact with each other, blurring the boundary between the online world and the physical world. However, the dynamics of potential online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA), the norms of a safe immersive environment, and how teenagers navigate themselves through these situations are still understudied. We aim to investigate teenagers’ experiences and offenders’ digital pathways that lead to online CSEA through immersive technologies to inform their future design. This research goal is to enrich the understanding of CSEA in the evolving immersive technologies context and to provide insights and guidance for creating safe and healthy immersive environments for teenagers.