metasafechild
Abstract
The use of social Virtual Reality (VR) among children is increasing,
but with it comes new forms of harassment that can be difficult for
parents to monitor. To address this issue, we have developed "Big
Buddy", a prototype AI-moderator that aims to safeguard children
from potential harassment in social VR. We conducted a study in
which 43 children (aged 8-16) participated in a simulated social VR
classroom, with fictitious competitors disrupting their game. When
Big Buddy intervened, the children reported feeling significantly
less negative emotions and felt safer. This is the first study to empirically examine the use of an embodied AI-moderator in social VR
from the perspective of children, and it provides important insights
for designing AI-moderators in social VR.
