"Unmasking Virtual Reality: How Predatory 'Cyber-Gropers' Target Children and Evade Justice"

PAEDO “cyber-gropers” are exploiting virtual reality games to prey on children – with some even reporting rape in the immersive world.

Youngsters are experiencing a “phantom touch” phenomenon during where they feel like they’re being sexually assaulted by depraved, often untraceable adults hiding behind a screen.

Across the globe, paedo ‘cyber-gropers’ are exploiting virtual reality games to abuse children – even allegedly raping them in the immersive world Credit: Getty Young gamers say they are being abused during online sessions by depraved, often untraceable adults hiding behind a screen Credit: Getty

VR is based around giving people a next-level experience which aims to take the user from their bedrooms to the real world through a high-tech futuristic headset.

The user becomes immersed in a world created by the game’s developers and feel as if they are truly in the environment, rather than watching it on a monitor.

Some of the most well-developed VR games allow for gamers to feel like they are so ingrained in the world – often referred to as the – that they begin to feel what their avatar feels.

A marvel in modern gaming, it’s now feared that the immersive VR world is helping harbour and hide paedophilia at an alarming rate.

David Whelan runs a virtual reality education company where thousands of kids use immersive headsets to learn as well as play games under his team’s supervision.

He says concerns over predators using VR must be addressed now.

David told The Sun: “Like with any game when you have millions of kids on a platform, it is going to attract predators.

“The worst in human nature can sometimes come out when people know they are unlikely to face any consequences.

A screen grab of a VR game from the perspective of a player using a Meta Quest headset Credit: Nick Obank – The Sun Youngsters play games using VR headsets (file image) Credit: Alamy

“There’s a lot of safety checks and balances that we have to put in place to make sure that children are safe.”

NSPCC chief executive, Sir Peter Wanless, added: “We hear from young people who feel powerless and let down as sexual abuse risks online are becoming normalised.”

A that she was gang raped in the Metaverse.

She claimed she was wearing a virtual reality headset when her avatar was sexually attacked by several other users all at once.

The girl said she felt both physically and mentally tormented after ending the game.

The horror was believed to be the first virtual sexual offence to be investigated by cops.

David said: “I think the girl felt very enclosed or like her personal boundary was invaded as when someone stands in front of you. As an avatar, it feels like they’re right next to you – nose to nose.

“So she could have felt very invaded and very, very, very threatened.”

Jordan Belamire was playing QuiVR, a virtual reality game, when she says she was sexually harassed in 2016.

“In between a wave of zombies and demons to shoot down, I was hanging out next to BigBro442, waiting for our next attack. Suddenly, BigBro442’s disembodied helmet faced me dead-on. His floating hand approached my body, and he started to virtually rub my chest,” she wrote on Medium .

She explained that the user “chased me around, making grabbing and pinching motions near my chest”.

“Emboldened, he even shoved his hand toward my virtual crotch and began rubbing,” she wrote.

Liz Murrill, the Republican attorney general of Louisiana, alleges Roblox – a game which allows for VR – is a ‘breeding ground for sex predators’ Credit: Getty The Meta Quest series is by far the most popular and widely used VR headset platform in the world Credit: Getty

She told The Guardian that the virtual groping was comparable to being groped in real life.

She said: “The shock I felt from real life groping versus that first virtual groping was about the same. You wonder what kind of person thinks it’s OK to do that and are disgusted that it happened to you.”

QuiVR immediately responded and updated the game’s code to include an expanded “personal bubble” – to push offenders away – to help prevent future incidents.

Chilling NSPCC crime figures also show that paedophiles are using VR headsets to view and store child abuse imagery.

Eight police forces in the UK have recorded sexual offences via VR in recent years.

But police investigating the claims are often unable to prosecute under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as a sexual can only be committed through physical abuse.

And one of the biggest problems is tracking down abusers.

Gamers can come from any corner of – for example, British cops could struggle to deal with a suspected perpetrator from .

The is unlikely to cooperate with police and won’t make the accused answer any questions in relation to the claims – and the same goes for many nations across the world.

Sick abusers are also able to hide behind avatars online with little real-world information known about them.

They can manipulate their IP addresses – which police would use to try and track them down – meaning they could disappear fast.

Even if an account is flagged by fellow players, creating a second, third or fourth avatar is often simple to do online.

A woman wearing a VR headset and haptic glove during a game Credit: Getty

Verity McIntosh, academic and co-author of Child Safeguarding and Immersive Technologies study, believes sexual offending within the VR world has become “endemic”.

She previously told The Sun: “In our research we found lots of evidence of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

“Child sexual offenders are using VR as a new frontier… Offenders are confident there will be no repercussions.”

Catherine Allen, an expert on VR and CEO of immersive company, Limina Immersive, said: “Online offenders will flock to places where there is little scrutiny or regulation and we can see this happening in VR.”

Some of the most popular games which use VR includes Rec Room and .

Roblox, which is played by millions across the world has recently been labelled the “perfect place for paedophiles”, a US state lawsuit claims.

Liz Murrill, the Republican attorney general of Louisiana, alleges the game is a “breeding ground for sex predators”.

Child abusers “thrive, unite, hunt and victimise kids” within the immersive game, she goes on to claim in the suit.

Paedophiles are able to easily engrain themselves into games through VR by disguising themselves as a fellow user – without ever disclosing their age.

Deviants can curate a profile and cater their faux appearance to suit different games, activities and environments online.

This allows them to better target individuals – causing more severe consequences.

VR is often used in roleplay games where players are able to create their dream lives down to where they live and who they live with.

But David warns: “I wouldn’t allow a 10-year-old into one of these massive roleplay games as they can actually be a massive danger.”

On the surface, building up this universe can appear harmless.

But the VR expert says children have been known to be lured into making a world with suspicious people they meet on these games.

Children can reveal private details about their current lives or give up information about their hopes and dreams which can be exploited by potential predators.

It can also quickly turn sexual, David warns.

“If a child goes into a roleplay game they could role play as a family,” he said.

“The next minute there’s a husband and there’s a wife and they’re all role playing.

“Very quickly that can turn into what a husband and wife do at nighttime and that can be dangerous as you don’t know that person’s intentions.

“But then quite quickly what happens is as they build up trust with the kid, they try and bring it to another platform.

“What they’re trying to do is to get the kid into something like Discord or Snapchat where they will start conversations or video calls.

“Then as the kids start getting compromised and sending photographs they might start blackmailing the child.”

The Metaverse also allows minors to access explicit content which they couldn’t in .

This includes games which feature strip clubs or show pornographic material and scenes which involve drinking alcohol or .

David, who uses the Meta Quest VR headsets, says more people need to be aware of the steps they can take to ensure their loved one’s safety online.

He said: “A lot of parents don’t actually monitor anything that happens. The amount of parents that actually use iPads as babysitters is unbelievable.

“You can actually monitor what’s happening in the VR headsets if you’re very, very concerned.

“You can log in on your phone and see what’s exactly happening in the headset so you see through the eyes of the child.

“The other thing that I would do is have an open conversation with the child and say, ‘look, not everybody in these games are who they seem to be’.”

VR is a technological phenomenon which is continuing to advance year-on-year.

But as it continues to become more affordable, attractive and mainstream, a huge increase in children, as well as dangerous predators, playing the games is being seen across the globe.

The Sun has contacted Roblox for comment.

Meta urged anyone using VR for the first time or those who have any concerns to read their safety centre page for advice on staying safe.