Is virtual sexual assault a crime?
For the first time, UK police are investigating a virtual sexual assault of a teen in the metaverse.
Is it a crime when sexual assault is committed in the Metaverse?
That's what UK police are investigating right now for the first time.
A 16-year-old girl was playing her VR game when multiple players allegedly “raped” her Avatar.
And according to the Daily Mail, the perpetrators were all adults.
The girl was playing using a VR headset [insert pictures of oculus rift, meta headsets etc]and according to a source close to the victim, the incident was worsened by how immersive the console is.
While there was no physical attack, the girl is said to have experienced “psychological trauma” similar to what physical sexual assault survivors experience.
But investigators are scratching their heads on how to prosecute this, as rape convictions require physical contact.
It’s not clear what platform the teenager was using when the incident happened, but there have been a number of reported sex attacks on Meta’s Horizon World.
Technology analysts and psychologists call the virtual reality world the “wild west” and warn parents about their kids using the VR headsets.
Despite no policing, however, 15% of kids ages 5 through 10 in the UK have used a VR headset (show UK's National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children study here)
In the US, more and more young people are becoming aware of VR and 25% of teenagers own a VR device.
With more and more young people using these VR platforms, should there be more laws in place to protect underage users from predators, or is the onus fully on parents to be vigilant?: Even in the Metaverse.