Can virtual reality be used in market research with children? by George Hanks

Virtual reality has been at the forefront of technological development for several years but is still struggling to find its niche. Many companies have developed the use of this technology for immersive games and entertainment, while new applications are being launched daily. The use of virtual reality tools when carrying out market research with children cannot be far off.

Newcastle University, in collaboration with Third Eye Technologies, has shown that virtual reality can be used as a therapeutic technique for children with autism. This was achieved using Third Eye Technologies’ ‘Blue Room’. This room allows for a fully immersive audio visual experience without the need for a headset, which autistic children can find distressing. Psychologists lead the children through simulations of real life scenarios that may have caused anxiety in the past while teaching them relaxation techniques and coping strategies. The treatment reported improvements in eight out of nine children, allowing them to move past these fears.

Such rooms are not the norm for Virtual Reality however. Most commonly, it is formatted to exist within a headset which is worn by the user. Although this has been developed further by companies such as Tick Tock Unlock, into a multi-sensory ‘Hyper Reality Experience’, users can have access to the platform through a variety of headsets made from as simple a material as cardboard. Such devices were distributed to UK classrooms in 2016 by Google, enabling teachers to take their students on ‘virtual reality field trips’.

This raises the issue of how to best use this hardware in a research environment, and also what impact this mostly untested technology could have on young minds. While different products come with a variety of warnings, from choking hazards to age restrictions, the warning from all virtual reality headsets is related to the danger of extended exposure to the stereoscopic imaging screen. By using stereoscopics to produce the 3D effect, the brain is unable to accurately discern the depth of objects. Something that appears to be far away on the screen, is centimetres from your face. However, as reported by Professor Martin Banks at the University of California, Berkeley, this ‘Vergence-accommodation conflict’ appears to be a short-term effect that ends when the VR session does.

While studies continue to address the concerns that VR could lead to unknown chronic effects, a lack of longitudinal evidence of extended exposure to VR prevents the long term effects from being established. Guidelines currently refer users to ‘take regular breaks’ and stop if there is ‘discomfort, eye strain or disorientation’. While the potential to use virtual reality in research with children is exciting, the wellbeing of young people is an area that must be considered.

George is a research executive at Family Kids & Youth and is responsible for our ethnographic filming. George graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University with a degree in psychology, and is interested in exploring new and innovative ways of carrying out research with children and young people.