Sexual harassment in social virtual reality is a documented safety problem, but current evidence does not establish how prevalent it is across the “metaverse.” The often-cited figure that 49% of regular female VR users experienced sexual harassment or abuse comes from a 2018 survey reported secondhand in a 2024 paper—not a current, representative estimate of all metaverse users.
What counts as “the metaverse” matters
There is no single settled definition of the metaverse. A 2024 policy paper describes it in terms of interconnected virtual worlds, presence, persistence, immersion and interoperability. But studies may use the term for different things: headset-based social VR, particular platforms, or a broader category of online spaces. Results from one setting cannot automatically be generalized to the others.
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Sexual harassment also covers different behaviors. A survey asking about harassment or abuse is not measuring the same thing as a survey asking about any negative online experience, or about someone creating a sexually explicit avatar or image without consent. The denominator matters too: a percentage of all survey respondents differs from a percentage of people who already reported a negative experience.
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| Evidence | What was reported | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 survey, as cited by a 2024 paper | 49% of regular female VR users reportedly experienced sexual harassment or abuse in virtual social spaces. The paper attributes this to Outlaw’s survey of more than 600 users. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 2024 | This is an older estimate reported through a secondary citation. Its representativeness is unclear; it is not a current rate for all users or platforms. |
| Australian eSafety survey, conducted November–December 2022 | 4% of respondents said they had engaged in the metaverse in the previous 12 months. Among those metaverse users, 71% reported at least one negative online experience. eSafety Commissioner | The 71% figure covers negative experiences broadly, not sexual harassment alone. The 4% figure describes participation among Australian survey respondents, not the share of users who experienced harm. |
| Australian eSafety survey, conducted November–December 2022 | 6% of metaverse users said someone had created a sexually explicit avatar or image of them to interact with without consent. Among respondents who reported a negative metaverse experience, 49% said it had a moderate-to-extreme effect on their mental or emotional wellbeing. eSafety Commissioner | The 6% figure concerns one specific form of non-consensual conduct, not every kind of sexual harassment. The wellbeing figure applies only to respondents who had a negative experience—not to all metaverse users. |
| Center for Countering Digital Hate investigation, 2023 | Researchers recorded 100 visits to selected popular Horizon Worlds destinations. Minors appeared in 66 recordings, and researchers identified 19 incidents of abuse directed at minors by adults. Center for Countering Digital Hate | This was a short observational sample, not a platform-wide prevalence study. The findings reflect the selected destinations and the investigators’ method; age identification was partly based on voice. |
These figures cannot be placed side by side as a trend. They cover different years, populations, platforms or settings, behaviors and methods. Taken together, they document distinct forms of harm, but they do not yield one reliable percentage for how often sexual harassment happens across the metaverse.
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Why VR harassment can feel immediate
Social VR uses immersive environments and avatars that can make interactions feel present and embodied. A 2024 policy paper discusses how this sense of presence can shape users’ experience of harassment; OECD analysis also examines the safety implications of immersive environments. That is a reason to take reports seriously, not evidence that every user experiences the same impact.
An avatar is not a physical body, but conduct directed at someone through an avatar can still be experienced as threatening or distressing. The eSafety finding that 49% of respondents who had a negative metaverse experience reported a moderate-to-extreme effect on their mental or emotional wellbeing offers one measure of impact—with the important limitation that it applies only to that group of respondents. The 2024 Frontiers paper and the OECD’s 2024 review discuss harassment and safety in immersive settings.
What users can do if it happens
The exact controls and reporting process depend on the app or platform. If you encounter harassment, prioritize getting out of the interaction, then use the tools available in that space.
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- Create distance or leave. Move away, use a personal-boundary control if the platform provides one, or exit the world or session.
- Block the person. Use the platform’s blocking option to limit further interaction where available.
- Report the behavior in the app. Follow the platform’s reporting flow and include the details it requests. If the platform allows it, record relevant account or incident information before leaving, without putting yourself at further risk.
- Use the platform’s support or safety channel. For serious or continuing conduct, consult the platform’s own guidance and consider support from a trusted person.
Meta’s developer guidance requires multiplayer apps on its platform to provide an in-app reporting mechanism accessible through a designated menu; the requirement applied from May 31, 2023. Its guidance describes a reporting service or plugin and a blocking API. This is a Meta platform requirement, not a rule that applies to every virtual world. Meta Horizon OS developer guidance
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What platform safety features can—and cannot—promise
Safety controls can help users limit unwanted contact, but a feature’s existence does not prove that it prevents harassment or works consistently. Platform rules, enforcement and available controls differ, and responsibility may rest with a platform, a developer or the creator of a particular space.
Personal boundaries
The OECD’s 2024 review describes Meta’s Personal Boundary feature as keeping avatars in Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues from getting within about four feet of one another. This is a specific platform example, not a universal standard or proof that harassment is prevented. OECD, 2024
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Reporting, blocking and moderation
Reporting and blocking mechanisms give users ways to flag behavior and restrict contact. Moderation and conduct rules also matter, but approaches vary across virtual spaces. Meta’s developer documentation explicitly notes that the metaverse will not be built or managed by one company; no single set of controls or enforcement practices governs every experience. Meta Horizon OS developer guidance OECD, 2024
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The available sources do not establish a recent, representative, cross-platform rate of sexual harassment in the metaverse using consistent definitions and demographic breakdowns. The frequently repeated 49% figure is an older estimate from 2018 cited secondhand in 2024; the Australian survey measures broad negative experiences alongside a narrower non-consensual avatar or image measure; and the Horizon Worlds investigation is an observational sample, not a user prevalence survey.
There is also no basis in these sources for claiming that harassment is increasing over time. A sound answer to “How common is it?” must first specify which platform or environment, which users, which behavior and what period. Until comparable studies do that across platforms, the evidence supports taking the risk seriously—but not a single headline percentage for the metaverse as a whole.
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