Harassment in Virtual Reality: A Systematic Review

Paper Title

Harassment in Virtual Reality: A Systematic Review

Publication Info

• Topic area: Harassment in virtual reality environments and its implications for user safety and platform governance.
• Keywords: Virtual reality, harassment, social VR, identity-based abuse, platform governance, AI moderation, safety design, marginalized users, immersive environments, systemic harm.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Harassment in virtual reality (VR) is qualitatively distinct from traditional online abuse due to the immersive, embodied, and spatial nature of VR. Existing research on this topic is fragmented, lacks standardized measurement tools, and often excludes marginalized voices.
• Significance: As VR becomes a mainstream space for social interaction, work, and entertainment, ensuring user safety is critical to prevent emotional trauma, social withdrawal, and platform abandonment, especially for marginalized groups.
• Motivation and related work: Previous studies have explored specific forms of VR harassment (e.g., sexual violence, child abuse) or tangentially addressed safety in VR. However, they often lack comprehensive typologies, cross-platform insights, or inclusive governance frameworks. This paper seeks to consolidate knowledge, identify gaps, and propose actionable strategies.

Solution

• Proposed approach: A systematic review of 85 studies published between 2017 and 2025, synthesizing findings into a typology of harassment, examining psychological impacts, evaluating interventions, and identifying research gaps.
• Novelty:
  1. Development of a six-category typology of VR harassment: spatial intrusion, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, identity-based harassment, group-based aggression, and systemic/algorithmic harm.
  2. Analysis of psychological and behavioral consequences, highlighting disproportionate impacts on marginalized groups.
  3. Review of governance and technical interventions, including AI moderation, consent-based design, and platform policies.
  4. Identification of critical research gaps and recommendations for inclusive, ethical, and preventive safety practices.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Literature collection using PRISMA guidelines across major databases (ACM, IEEE, Web of Science, Google Scholar).
  • Inclusion criteria focused on VR-specific harassment, victim experiences, and governance mechanisms.
  • Iterative open coding to categorize harassment types, affected groups, consequences, and interventions.
  • Quantitative and qualitative analysis of study designs, datasets, and findings.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • Harassment in VR disproportionately affects women, LGBTQ+ individuals, children, and people with disabilities.
  • Psychological impacts include acute stress, trauma, identity suppression, and social withdrawal.
  • Behavioral changes include reduced platform engagement, avatar modifications, and communication avoidance.
  • Current interventions (e.g., block/mute tools, personal bubbles) are reactive and insufficiently protective.
• Advantage over baselines:
  • Provides a comprehensive typology of VR harassment, bridging gaps in fragmented research.
  • Highlights the unique vulnerabilities of marginalized groups and the embodied nature of VR harm.
  • Offers a multi-dimensional critique of existing governance and technical interventions.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Analysis of 85 studies using surveys, interviews, ethnographies, lab experiments, and in-situ observations.
  • Quantitative trends: sharp growth in publications from 2022–2025, with ACM and IEEE as leading publishers.
  • Cross-tabulation of harassment types, affected groups, and consequences.
• Limitations and future work:
  • Focus on English-language peer-reviewed studies excludes gray literature and non-English user experiences.
  • Rapid evolution of VR platforms may render some findings outdated.
  • Future work should prioritize marginalized voices, standardized measurement tools, and proactive design strategies.

Summary

This paper systematically reviews harassment in VR, presenting a six-category typology and analyzing its disproportionate impact on marginalized groups. It highlights the embodied and immersive nature of VR harm, the psychological and behavioral consequences for victims, and the limitations of current governance and technical interventions. While reactive tools like block/mute functions dominate, the study advocates for proactive, inclusive, and consent-driven design approaches. Future research should address gaps in representation, measurement, and legal frameworks to ensure VR evolves into a safe and equitable space for all users.