The UK authorities are currently investigating a teenager's assertion that her avatar was gang raped in an immersive virtual reality game. This situation has prompted officials to consider whether such actions within the metaverse can lead to criminal charges.

The girl, identified as under the age of 16, had a VR headset on while playing online when, according to British police sources, several male players attacked and "gang-raped" her digital avatar, as reported by The Daily Mail.

Even though the girl didn't suffer physical harm, reports say she felt very upset after the incident. A senior police officer, familiar with the case, mentioned to The Daily Mail that she went through trauma similar to a real life assault.

Donna Jones, chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, confirmed to The BBC that the incident was reported to authorities in 2023, prompting a police investigation. 

Urgent Need to Address Safety in the Metaverse

Regardless of how the British police decide to handle the situation, experts emphasize the importance of addressing concerns about sexual harassment and violence in the metaverse. As virtual and augmented reality technology becomes more convincing, law enforcement and safety researchers stress the need for action.

Visual Immersion with VR Goggles

VR goggles give users a full view, surrounding their vision for an absorbing experience. Players might feel vibrations in their handheld controls based on their chosen settings during in-game events.

Emotional Impact in Virtual Scenarios

When players find themselves in intense in-game situations with other player controlled characters, there's no direct physical danger. However, experts suggest that the immersive quality of VR can amplify emotional reactions to what's happening in the game. This includes the feelings conveyed through the goggles or the sensations transmitted through haptic suits. These suits, responsive to touch, vibrate when virtual events occur. For instance, they react when users' in-game characters collide with a wall or receive a punch.

Virtual Reality (VR) technology works by fooling your brain into believing you're physically inside the virtual world on the screen. It does this by imitating real-world sensations, like walking or swimming. When you take off the VR headset, it's common to feel a bit disoriented for a moment as you realize you're still in your living room or at a convention show.

Impact on Your Brain

In the metaverse space, if something distressing occurs, your brain might quickly recognize it's just a game, but there's a brief moment where your basic instincts need to catch up. This delay could potentially lead to feelings of distress or trauma.

Even though safety experts and police have been talking about the real-life consequences of VR attacks and harassment, people are still arguing on places like Reddit about how virtual sexual assault affects individuals. Some users even say that talking about being upset from virtual attacks is downplaying the experiences of "real" rape victims.

UK Home Secretary on Virtual Incident Impact

"I know it is easy to dismiss this as being not real, but the whole point of these virtual environments is they are incredibly immersive," explained James Cleverly, the UK Home Secretary, when discussing the situation on LBC. "And we're talking about a child here, and a child has gone through sexual trauma. It will have had a very significant psychological effect and we should be very, very careful about being dismissive of this."

He added: "It's also worth realizing that somebody who is willing to put a child through a trauma like that digitally may well be someone that could go on to do terrible things in the physical realm."

Sexual Harassment in 'Horizon Worlds'

Instances similar to the British girl's experience are not uncommon. Several reports detail virtual harassment cases within Meta's "Horizon Worlds" VR game. However, it's unclear whether the specific incident occurred within Meta's game or in a different virtual reality setting.

In 2022, a researcher exploring user behavior in the "Horizon Worlds" metaverse mentioned that her online character faced a distressing situation about an hour into her first gaming session—it was a form of virtual assault.

Researcher's Report on Avatar Assault

In her report, the researcher described a confusing experience. "One part of my brain was like wtf is happening, the other part was like this isn't a real body, and another part was like, this is important research. Yet, a third part acknowledged the significance of the incident as important research. She mentioned that the individuals who attacked her virtual avatar had asked her to turn off the 4-foot safety feature before launching the assault.

Back in 2021, a researcher named Nina Jane Patel shared on Medium that, a few months before, when she joined "Horizon Worlds," her avatar went through a distressing incident. Within just one minute, three to four avatars that looked male assaulted her avatar, describing the whole ordeal as a bizarre and nightmarish experience.

In the summer of 2022, after early reports about inappropriate behavior and make-believe attacks on the platform, The Verge shared that Meta adjusted what's okay in "Horizon Worlds." Now, they allow "mature" stuff for users 18 and up. This includes showing alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana, and also things like "near nudity" people, images hinting at or suggesting certain positions, or scenes centered on activities that are way too suggestive.

But here's the deal: Meta doesn't allow stuff like nakedness, showing people in intimate poses, or anything that's sexually suggestive in public spaces on their site. They've got a policy against it. When you're playing a game, the characters you control are only shown from the upper body, so you won't see their legs or private parts. Still, players can make their characters act out intimate scenes using suggestive poses.

This marks not the initial occurrence of a virtual reality sexual assault report, but it's the first time UK authorities are delving into whether such an incident can legally be treated as a crime.

There's a pressing requirement for specific laws that grasp the distinctive aspects of offenses happening in the metaverse. This includes clearly defining and making illegal actions like grooming, bullying, and harassment within virtual realms. The suggestion is to establish strict age verification systems, privacy controls, and parental oversight tools designed for the immersive experience of the metaverse. The aim is to maintain a balance, ensuring these measures promote a secure environment without restricting the innovation and freedom that make the alternate reality world so captivating.

Safeguarding Kids in the Metaverse

To keep children safe in the Metaverse, we need to do a few things. First, we should have measures in place that understand how kids think and feel, so they don't get upset or hurt. Then, we need strong rules that clearly say what's not allowed, and we should work together internationally to make sure everyone follows these rules. It's super important to act fast and make sure the Metaverse stays a good and safe place for young people.

Making Big Companies Responsible

We can make laws that make big companies responsible for keeping the online world safe. These companies should have teams of people ready to deal with problems like bullying in virtual spaces. Instead of just relying on individuals, we should put the responsibility on businesses to make sure online and virtual reality platforms are safe.

Laws and Challenges

Even though there are laws against cybercrimes like fraud and harassment, there might be some challenges. In the UK, for example, there was a case where a teenager made a complaint, but investigators weren't sure if the current laws could handle it. They said, "current legislation is not set up for this."

"We are beginning to think about what is a crime in the metaverse and how we police it," said Graeme Biggar, the head of the UK's National Crime Agency, talking to The Evening Standard.

He added, "It's not our main focus because there's a lot of real-world crime to deal with, but if you're in the metaverse, using a special suit that lets you feel things, and you experience sexual assault, rape, or murder – even if you're not using the suit – is that acceptable?"

He added: "It's not dominating our thinking because there is plenty of real-world crime for us to be getting on with, but if you are in the metaverse wearing a haptic suit where you can sense what is happening to and then you are sexually assaulted, raped, or murdered, even if you are not wearing a haptic suit, is that OK?"