Authorities are investigating the first alleged incident of sexual assault in the metaverse after a minor was purportedly "sexually attacked" in a virtual reality video game, UK newspapers The Daily Mail and The Mirror reported.
According to the report, a group of men assaulted the avatar of a girl under 16 years old during a video game. Though the victim did not sustain any physical injuries, she is said to have endured similar psychological and emotional trauma as an individual who has been raped in the "real world".
While the attack did not occur physically, the strangers online allegedly violated the character in the game - an incident supposedly under investigation by law enforcement in the UK. The "VR (virtual reality)" experience of modern games is intended to be completely immersive and users don a headset to participate in this.
The victim was in an online “room" with a substantial number of fellow users when the virtual assault by several adult men occurred, report said.
Law enforcement leaders are now calling for legislation to address a wave of sexual offenses in such a realm, saying officers’ tactics must progress to stop perverts from exploiting new technology to take advantage of children, The Mirror said.
On the other hand, some have raised questions about whether authorities should be pursuing virtual offenses.
The name of the game has not been disclosed. However, there have been several documented sex attacks on Horizon Worlds, a free VR online game operated by Facebook’s owner, Meta. Nina Jane Patel, a psychotherapist who conducts research on the metaverse, has depicted a "surreal nightmare" of being gang raped in Horizon Venues.
Moreover, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Child Protection and Abuse Investigation Lead, Ian Critchley, warned that "the metaverse inaugurates a gateway for predators to perpetrate horrific crimes against children". Speaking to The Daily Mail, he said: "We know offenders' tactics to groom and commit offences are constantly evolving. This is why our collective fight against predators like in this case, is essential to ensuring young people are protected online and can use technology safely without threat or fear.
"The "metaverse" creates a gateway for predators to commit horrific crimes against children, crimes we know have lifelong impacts both emotionally and mentally. As such, our policing approach must continually evolve to enable us to relentlessly pursue predators and safeguard victims across all online spaces,” he added.
Speaking to Daily Mail, a spokesperson for the company said: "The kind of behaviour described has no place on our platform, which is why for all users we have an automatic protection called personal boundary, which keeps people you don’t know a few feet away from you."