Health
Virtual reality has a powerful effect on the brain’s behavior, and this raises real-world concerns about physical and mental health, says Madsen. There are the obvious risks of physically injuring yourself from tripping or falling, but people are also reporting headaches, vertigo, muscle soreness and vision issues. Plus, people who are immersed in digital worlds often are doing so at the expense of exercising, breathing fresh air and socializing physically.
The more subtle health risks are mental. Because VR provides a much more realistic experience than watching something on a computer screen, the emotional and mental impacts are more intense. Watching a horror movie in VR, say, could cause real trauma, Madsen says. Not to mention that all the downsides of the current internet are magnified in VR, like violent pornography, the black market, sex trafficking and criminal activities.