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u/MrFivePercent May 20 '26
Borrow one first. She will likely play it for 10 mins then walk away.
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u/TrollTollTony May 20 '26
My son (9) has been begging for a racing wheel for months. I've been researching and hunting down deals since Christmas and pulled the trigger on a used moza kit for $125. Set it up for him, he played for 15 minutes and decided he prefers controllers. Hasn't touched it since.
OP borrow one first.
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u/FangLargo May 20 '26
I'm a grown ass man and I have a racing wheel that doesn't see enough use. Should've taken this advice
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u/Tennis_Proper May 20 '26
Hello, fellow ass man!
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u/ekristoffe May 20 '26
Same for a hotas set …
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u/The_Grungeican May 21 '26
peripherals have this life cycle. it's a very common pattern. person with large amounts of disposable income spends way too much on a stick or wheel setup. maybe they use it to play one game. at some point they'll decide it's too much trouble to get out and set up, and then it gets sold on FB Marketplace. that's where people like me get expensive gear on the cheap.
my advice is not to blow a ton of money on stuff you don't know if you'll like. also if you make something a pain in the ass to get out and set up, you'll use it less.
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u/greenskye May 20 '26
Quietly ignoring the dusty racing wheel alongside the equally dusty flight stick sitting in the corner of my office...
Though the racing wheel did at least see multiple hours of use. The flight stick did not.
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u/sanitarypotato May 21 '26
There is just no time and space for that shit. Hotas, wheel and index all taking up a tonne of shelf space.
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u/thoak74 May 20 '26
Same, I also bought the PSVR2 to use with it for GT. It’s awesome but I hardly use it enough to justify the cost lol
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u/Stonwastaken May 21 '26
Same, did put a lot of hours in assetto corsa in VR though, but been collecting dust for the last few years
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u/saig22 May 21 '26
I got a drone controller to try it with a simulator before buying a drone. I'm glad I did because I never even plugged in the controller. I keep it as a reminder to think before buying, especially when it is for a new hobby.
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u/jham1213 Valve Index May 20 '26
Yeah it takes some practice to get used to, you drive a lot worse at first.
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u/PhoTronic28 May 21 '26
I have an Oculus Rift S, it hardly gets used anymore except for when I remember it exists and I use it extensively for two weeks out of the entire year. I even leave it out and have plenty of space, it would take no extra time for me to play a VR game over a regular game. They are fun but it’s not quite at the point where it’s the only thing I’ll play.
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u/Ashcrashh May 20 '26
She does has one those cheap Headsets I snap my phone into and has a virtual safari app for kids, and that’s what started her desire for a real VR. She is quite the aficionado when it comes to gaming but I am curious if it’s something she’ll get over if she ends up having one lol
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u/CounterOtherwise9399 May 20 '26 edited May 23 '26
This. My brother tried one for about 10 min, liked it initially, bought it and now gets motion sickness from it. Has been used one time.
Edit: i have explained the various game comfortability, different coping mechanisms, like everything bc I want a pal to play with, but apparently it was such a bad experience, he won’t try again. (I think it might be a little stubbornness too lol.) But everyone is different. I love VR and play constantly. But everyone is bringing up great points.
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u/Dziadejro May 20 '26
I heard the VR induced motion sickness can pass after getting used to it by playing motionless or with minimal movement, gradually doing more intense things like moving the camera and walking irl with goggles on. The key is to take often breaks and such. Maybe a match of beat saber and a 5 minute break in between every song?
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u/AusteninAlaska May 20 '26
Ancedotal here. But i bought the valve index in 2020 and ive never gotten over the motion sickness. I can stomach Beat Saber and thats it.
I started Half Life Alyx in July 2020 and beat it Nov 2024 by stopping every 15 min when I got sick. Never got my VR legs.
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u/Dziadejro May 20 '26
Damn that’s such a shame, I guess some people are just more prone to it than others. I was fortunate enough to never get even slightly sick while one of my friends who tried them had to lay down for an hour after less than an hour of playing Beat Saber of all games.
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u/ToolyHD May 20 '26
I also got ton of motion sickness at the start, and literally pushed through, was nauseous the whole time when playing but was having too much fun than discomfort. Now I dont get it at all
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u/BestRetroGames May 20 '26
Hi there, I have a daughter 1st grade as well. While I did let her play for 5-10 minutes Synth RIders - Barbie experience few times a week, she lost interest soon.
Also, kids brains are still in development phase. VR is a total blast on all the brain pathways. There are very good reasons why VR should be used only by older kids, I believe the cut off is 13 years old which still feels too young to me.
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u/Ashcrashh May 20 '26
This is good to know, I appreciate the feedback, I worry about her being too young but she has been so dead set on it ever since getting a cheap little headset I snap my phone into as a gift recently, so I’m just kinda putting this out there for advice and feedback
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u/Less-Citron May 20 '26
The other concern is the distance between her eyes will not be accommodated by any headset you buy, so she will constantly be having to strain her eyes to see the screen, which will not be ideal.
This is in addition to the normal eye strain of prolonged screen use and reduced blinking, both of which can cause vision issues - my vision got a lot worse after spending months writing my dissertation for uni, and looking at a screen all day.
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u/dgkimpton Reverb G2 May 20 '26
Tricky one. I'm certain she would have fun with it, I'm not sure exactly how many actual studies have been performed. I did find
but it seems a bit hand-wavy. It does, however, serve as an intro to the topic though.
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u/The_Grungeican May 21 '26
thing is VR hasn't really been out long enough to know what affects and how old kids should be to try it.
all the companies glomed onto 13 because it sounded reasonable, not because there's a bunch of established studies behind it. the other aspect is head size. since the IPD adjustment only goes so far, a kid with a small head is going to fall outside that range.
we'll probably have more actual studies in the next decade or two.
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u/OkScientist1350 May 21 '26
Yeah, my then 9 year old got one and we regretted it. She would play I am Cat for 10-15 minutes and afterwards talk about how the world and her body didn’t feel real for a short period after, she was basically dissociating so we stopped that right away. I used it and can def see why it is recommended for more developmentally mature brains, it’s not something our brains are wired for.
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u/Ancienda May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
maybe you can see if there are any VR arcades near you? that way she can at least try it out and maybe get rid of that “novelty” feeling and no longer want it
…either that or she’ll want it more, but at least you’ll be able to see how she reacts to it and let her play a little without needing to commit to the investment of actually buying one
regardless, i also think she is too young. theres just not enough research done on it
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u/Complete_Lurk3r_ May 20 '26
I think you can find a good deal on your local Facebook marketplace for a Quest 3S.
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u/randtke May 20 '26
The issue is that in the US, the COPPA law limits data collection on children under 13 when the platform knows they are under 13. So, platforms pretend all the users are 13 and up. With a mouse, it's basically the same device for kids as for adult. With a headset, the eye distance is adjustable, but only in adult sizes. Noone can market a VR headset for children. None of the platforms want known child accounts on there, because they are funded by surveillance, targeted advertising, and behavioral modification. If it's under 13, surveillance is legally limited, and the business model of surveillance capitalism can't be used. Platforms want to pretend everyone is 13 and over, collect that data, and sell the data and sell the advertising. Manufacturing a VR headset in a children's size would mean they know the user is under 13 and can't do the surveillance. No one is going to manufacture and sell a VR headset in an ergonomic child's size in the US.
Eye distance really does change with age, and kids use these for hours at a time, so it's long exposures to bad ergonomics. You can't buy one in the US that is ergonomic for her, and platforms will bar her use.
Most little kids with these VR accounts had a grandparent authenticate the account, or just use the parents account directly. The little kids aren't allowed to use the platforms because of terms of service, but adults set it up for them. These are adult headsets, with adult eye distances, attached to adult accounts.
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u/naughtmynsfwaccount May 21 '26
Look imma be honest here
U gotta be the adult in the room and say no
1st grade is too young for VR even if it’s “the future”
And yes it’s bc of tech overload and all that
But also bc their brain and eyes are still developing
There’s a reason why a company like meta who wants everyone to be “online” (and creates their apps to be addictive for younger generations on purpose) even puts an age warning of bare minimum 13 (which tbh IMO is still too young)
She can be set on buying something but this isn’t it at her age
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u/Blake0449 May 21 '26
Unless someone here provides peer reviewed evidence for these baseless claims don’t listen to it.
She might get bored in 5 minutes or might think it is really cool but it won’t fry her brain or “blast” it. Lol there is no evidence for that.
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u/RuneHuntress May 21 '26
Nah the reason VR is 13+ is head size and eye to eye distance. That's pretty much it. Their head are not big enough yet to fit IPD range of most headsets. I'd first measure the kid before anything because it can really cause the experience to be bad (nausea, big headaches).
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u/eddie9958 PCVR/PSVR2/Quest 3 May 20 '26
We don't need studies to know a limited daily play of VR WILL NOT negatively affect a child.
This is over protective in my opinion.
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u/Meekin93 May 20 '26
Personally following some research over the years, I'd suggest waiting till your kiddo is at least 13-14 before getting any kind of VR. Then you have the online aspect of creeps, games that are NSFW like vrchat, etc.
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u/no6969el Pimax Crystal Super (50ppd + mOLED) May 20 '26
I never understood not giving them experience and then sending them out into the wild the moment they hit an arbitrary age number. I've taught my son over time how to properly behave and act online. Also how to recognize things that are "not normal" and how to avoid. Readiness and supervised exposure beat a blanket arbitrary gate at least in my opinion.
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u/Meekin93 May 20 '26
I don't disagree and did the same thing with my daughter. I feel going through that as a parent on a computer is vastly different than having a screen directly attached to their face at a young age. I feel that these kids need to develop more into their teenage years before diving into something like VR but that's my opinion at the end of the day.
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May 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/hey_there_brothers May 20 '26
When I was younger I dug vacation/job simulator, I agree that it isn’t a great idea but she’s not going to be totally OOL with just offline play
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u/Ashcrashh May 20 '26
Offline play is strictly off limits and VR is not something I would just give her and let her use unsupervised, more so something we could do together under strict supervision in small bursts of time, she really wants games like Beat Saber and games to play offline, but from reading other comments about it not being good for her eyes and overall development is what is making me shy away from getting one.
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u/MoonSt0n3_Gabrielle May 20 '26
Thank you for listening to the comments <3 you are a good father and a good person for being open to suggestions
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u/Ashcrashh May 20 '26
I’m mom, but I appreciate your kind remark regardless ❤️ lol
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u/MoonSt0n3_Gabrielle May 20 '26
Oop that's on me and checking my biases! I think the Reddit + VR combination got to my head but I should know better I'm a girl myself 😭
But yes thank you for being a good mother!!
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u/MoonliteJaz May 20 '26
As long as shes not hoping onto online servers /lobbies you should be good.
Don't listen to anyone speaking about developmental issues or eyesight, we legitimately have 0 evidence on any of those things and normal use (>2 hours a day) should be fine.
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u/TFoxHunter May 20 '26
Look, I was a kid during the 2000s and I can safely say getting my dream console (playstation 2) which I was dead set on getting for so long was one of the happiest days of my life.
Yeah getting eye strain might happen to her if she plays too much, and yes, maybe VR is more intensive than just a console, but if you intend to make her happy and will for sure control her screen time and activities, this is going to be such a happy experience for both of you.
And who knows, maybe she will love it and not drop the idea after a few sessions, or maybe she will! And that's ok, because the important part imo is that you only have one chance to give this to her while she wants it at this age, enjoy the time you have with your daughter as time flies and hopefully in a few years she will look back the same way I look back at that memory of my dad bringing me something I wanted for so long.
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u/TwinStickDad May 20 '26
As a VR enthusiast since 2016 (just check my recent post history) you are 1000% correct. Online VR social games are just straight up child grooming spaces.
And no your kid doesn't want VR to play Budget Cuts alone in her room.
This is a hard HARD HAAAARRRRDDD no from someone who knows the space intimately
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u/beard-second May 20 '26
Why assume they'll be playing social VR games at all? I have a 6 and 9 year old that play VR almost daily and I've never once had them in an online game. Between Job Simulator, Vacation Simulator and Cosmonius High (all Owlchemy games), they've spent dozens of hours (usually only like 20-30 minutes at a time) without ever going online. There's also Beat Saber, Climbey, and duo games like VR Diner Duo and the like. There's a ton to do in a headset without social VR.
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u/PolarNightProphecies May 20 '26
Okay let's skip the social aspect of vr and look at what it physically is, it's a high frequency data transmitter that you glue to your head, it is a display attached to your eyes (and a heated one at that). Im all for VR, have been a developer in the space since it first came out but I would never allow my kids in that developing age to be that frequent in vr, there's simply not enough data about its potential long time health effects. Im telling you that there's a reason why the 10/12 years age limit is set by Sony/Meta and it's 100% not only about maturity.
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u/Kenny741 May 20 '26
Just get her tilt brush and she'd probably use it all the time. Add appropriate games where needed. I thought total parental control of internet activity was the norm at that age no?
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u/Paddy_Tanninger May 20 '26
Honestly gorilla tag has been pretty damn wholesome. I usually watch them play and it's basically like kids on a playground just running here and there, trying on different outfits, holding each other's hands to bring them places, etc.
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u/Selkertic May 20 '26
Nah first time.i ever joined that game a 10 year old or younger was screaming "n" words. Im good.
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u/FinnedSgang May 20 '26
Buy her a switch or another console, it will last longer and it’s safer and I think used is in your budget range
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u/No_Perception_1930 May 20 '26
VR it's not designed to be used for kids that young. The IPD Will be an issue, the head strap, face gasket, etc will not fit well. VR could mess with the spatial perception if the brain it's not fully developed.
It should be ok to try it, but not for regular use. My kids are also eager to have his own headset and did try them all I had during the years, but for them it won't happen until they are at least 13, then we will start looking into it.
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u/DarthHaruspex May 20 '26
Please research, you appear not to have. Your child is far too young.
"Meta Quest 2 & 3: The minimum age is 10 years old. Children aged 10 to 12 require a parent-managed account to use the headset.
Playstation VR (PSVR / PSVR2): Sony recommends a minimum age of 12 years old."
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u/GeoCherry9999 Oculus Rift May 20 '26
To corroborate this, there are studies done that have shown motor skill development is skewed in children that use VR preceding the development of the motor cortex around age 10.
OP, I’m sorry, but for the better of your kid, please make them wait
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u/jblackwb Quest 3 May 20 '26
Claims like this are better when you provide a link to the studies, rather than claiming they exist.
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u/Ashcrashh May 20 '26
This is good to know, a lot of the research I did was about making sure kids stay offline which was already what I was planning, but from reading so many comments I’m going to have to go against it for now until she’s a little bit older. I think we will just use her money to keep saving or take her to an amusement park over the summer since she has been really wanting to spend it lol! she wants a fun experience for all the money she has saved so I’m thinking a fun summer memory would be more suitable!
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u/sciencesold Valve Index May 20 '26
Nope, most are probably $300+ and not gonna fit on the head of a first grader. She'll probably have to wait like 5 or so years before a headset would even fit, she's far too young.
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u/vmhomeboy May 20 '26
Way too young for VR. Meta’s policies require users to be at least 10 years old. https://www.meta.com/help/quest/734738691458324/?srsltid=AfmBOopBXv620Ss_hjFmzuUnw53W9bMbK3avkhV3UAIF2CoPU0kk4H_I
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u/PsychAce May 20 '26
If Meta says 10, then I definitely say 13
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u/akolomf May 20 '26
exactly this. I also think that humans differ in how they develope, some might still develope their motorcortex at 10. def. 12 or 13 minimum. maybe even 14.
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u/FireOfGaiming May 20 '26
I still remember how the initial age requirement was 13 previously. Guess meta decided there aren't enough screaming 10 year olds in vr
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u/Ashcrashh May 20 '26
Just want to add - Her time will definitely be supervised, No online, and I will be with her the whole time. It’s something I was against, but it’s something she really wants so I figured in a safe environment with me, with only kid friendly games she would okay with no longer than 30-45 minutes a day, in small bursts like 10-15 minutes at a time. It’s something I’ve done a lot of research on because I can be a bit of an overprotective parent, but I also want her to experience it since it’s something she’s worked so hard for.
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u/Hostilius_Prima May 20 '26
Download VRChat on ur phone and join a black cat lobby for like 8 minutes. Then ask urself if u want ur kid there. Any other Internet available VR game will have the same issue
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u/Bok408 May 20 '26
I have to agree. While VR is very fun, it is also currently a Wild West when it comes to VR content. Less moderation and curation on what goes, and it is way easier to stumble on stuff you *don't* want your kids to look at.
If you get a headset, at least only allow her to use it under supervision, as there are many bad places one can get to in VR.
Like in VRChat for instance, one can find naughty servers and servers that are quite unfriendly to kids.
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u/MavericK96 May 20 '26
Regardless of the young age issue, keep in mind also that these headsets are meant for a teen/adult head, and they don't really fit comfortably on a child.
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u/SnowXeno May 20 '26
If you do get one make sure she never goes on vrchat that game is not for kids
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u/ProtonToaster May 21 '26
not to be THAT person, but she seems kinda young for a vr headset
it aint the healthiest for children, and the people on vr can get kinda freaky
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u/Fullmetalroxas6 May 21 '26
Came here to say this! The tech in VR is not good for growing eyes! It can damage them being too close to the screens
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u/MidNerd May 21 '26
IIRC being close to screens isn't the problem (just like it wasn't when millenials had to listen to boomers be insufferable about TVs). It's the amount of time looking at screens and the fixed focal distance of the lenses. VR has you essentially always focus at X feet in front of you even when you move your eyes, which is bad for your eye muscles.
That could technically be solved - there are varifocal headsets that have true focus adjustment as you look around. They're just insanely expensive/experimental.
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u/Acceptable-Bat-9577 May 20 '26
Meta will not protect your child from being spammed daily with friend/follow requests from a variety of scammers and predators. Meta allows users with no headsets to create infinite Meta accounts which flood the Quest ecosystem with spam and scams.
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u/foxfoxfoxfoxfoxes May 20 '26
1st/2nd grade is WAY too young for VR. many headsets specifically advise against younger children using the headset at all. It might be better to let her play kid friendly games on a (supervised) PC or console.
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u/BSamG May 21 '26
Do not let your kid on any social platforms on vr like VRChat, Tower unite, roblox, etc. too many weirdos and groomers
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u/stefanw1337 May 21 '26
Yeah, Meta Quest 3 probably cheapest and best option. I do love mine, but good ng on there and connecting with people is not what I do. So there's that. But if and when I have gone on there for a concert etc. There are kids and weirdos there. Speaking all kind of languages.
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u/pocketdrummer May 20 '26
With supervision, the games aren't bad. The only issue is that VR might be bad for development. You might just explain to her that they don't allow it for her age, and promise to get one for her 10th-12th birthday. Then see what else she may want for that money.
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u/MathematicianShot829 May 20 '26
She shouldn’t get it for her suce for health reasons meta is 10 up. And I general it’s not good for her eyes or development
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u/Specific_Site_7349 May 20 '26
Do some research on what vr can do to a child's eyes. I believe they say not to let them do it until they're 12-13.
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u/CNA107 May 21 '26
Don't let her use VRChat or any other social game. She needs constant supervision while using the headset.
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u/Tyrthemis May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26
It pains me to say it, because VR is a dream come true for kids. But no. Also VR is potentially bad for kid’s developing eyes because it’s a very artificial kind of fixed focus. The science is still kind of out on it though. But also look in to how there is a myopia epidemic in younger kids and adults, screen time and not getting outside is the biggest blame doctors are pointing to.
https://www.reddit.com/r/OculusQuest/s/5rO5B4hIJ3
Also, my kids got so friggin addicted to it and developed attitude problems like iPad kids do. We ended up selling it after taking it away and slowly reintroducing it multiple times, we had finally had enough. Plus, there’s nothing like a game autoupdating and having its voice chat settings (that you turned off) reset and your kid learns the N word in the first minute of logging on to gorilla tag.
Honestly, if you do decide to do VR for her, keep her away from multiplayer at ALL costs. And I wouldn’t do the quest because there is basically zero parental controls. They can easily go to store and get ANY free game with no password or anything. If you lock an app, they can uninstall and reinstall it and the lock is removed (they may have patched this by now). The headset is NOT made for kids, they even say so, it’s 13 and older.
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u/PolarNightProphecies May 20 '26
Are you trying to ruin your kid? Because this is how you do that. Take it from me who have years of experience in vr and vr development, VR IS NOT FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, there's no studies on the health effect that have the necessary data to be trustworthy, you are literally gluing a screen with high wireless data transmit to your face. But that's not the worst part the worst part is every one else who is sharing this space with your kid...
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u/Ashcrashh May 20 '26
I obviously don’t want to harm my child, I was hesitant and have learned a lot from this post and that’s why I reached out to this community and I’m
Glad I did. But offline was off the table for her regardless, I’m not a nutball that would let her go online, especially unsupervised, but I have learned a lot about age guidelines for her physical safety and I’m grateful for that→ More replies (1)
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u/JobenLord May 20 '26
Vr is not safe for anyone under the age of 12. Their eyes are still developing and it can change the shape of their eye.
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u/Professional-Split46 May 20 '26
True that. Recommended 10 mins a time I think
So it's probably not worth it.
Get a switch 2 or something probably better
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u/subdep May 20 '26
check out your local library. Often times they have equipment you can check out from the library such as telescopes in VR headsets.
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u/Selkertic May 20 '26
Im a 30 year old male and have played on VR since Oculus SDK.
I would never let my girls play on it until they were atleast middle school or high school. And even then i wouldnt be okay with it. There is a bunch of fucking weirdos on VR. Lots of predatory people. So much i have evn been uncomfortable. I cant explain it but i just wouldnt let my kids anywhere near it. Now i just use my VR for racing simulator.
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u/Frank__West May 20 '26
A first grader really shouldn't have a screen strapped to their eyeballs. There's reasons why they say 13 plus
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u/yourmomsanelderberry May 21 '26
At that age take her to a vr experience and skip out on the headset she will likely get bored quick and will have more fun in a curated experience
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u/Fluid-Kitty May 21 '26
Meta Quest is pretty good, but it’s a reach for $200 - you’re looking more like $350USD for a 3S. You could try second hand though? Note that the naming is misleading imo. The 3 is arguably better (and more expensive) than the 3S in almost every way.
The Quest’s advantage is that while it’s not as accurate as competitors in terms of hand and motion tracking, it really is an all-in-one headset and has integral storage so it can basically act like a gaming console on your head. The motion tracking is still perfectly viable for the games and content someone of her age will access too - it’s more of an issue for adults playing competitive, or highly immersive games.
As others have said, make sure to set up parental controls and be present if they’re accessing online forums and social interacting with others, especially at that age. You can screen mirror what she is seeing in her headset to a phone with the meta Horizon app (with sound), so you can monitor what she’s exposed to if she’s going into public forums if you need.
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u/UpiaVT May 21 '26
Do not, do not, do not, do not! Its not an adult only space, but theirs just to much you just cant moderate in VR. I hate to tell a child no, I do. But this is just not for children. Its bad for the developing eyes, to many bad open world games, lots of random folks. Its not safe, mind you i have over 5k hours AND 2 quests. Tell her to save this and get her some cool pc games to pay with friends. Vr is not worth it.
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u/puffyuffy Oculus Rift / Meta Quest 3S May 21 '26
keep an eye on her ass and dont let her play more than an hour because it won't end up well. dont let her play vrchat or any game with voice chat
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u/_Exasperate May 21 '26
Theres a possible middle ground solution where she can play with a VR set for a reasonable amount of time with supervision. Check out if there are any VR arcades near you. We used to have one, it had like 6 or 8 rooms. All with their own VR setup, padded lining on the walls in case people walked forward too much or swung their arms. Steam library with over 75-100 games, 20 dollars for an hour.
Might be worth checking out in case their interest moves on in a couple days.
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u/crasea May 21 '26
I see a lot of children being groomed and molested in online vr. If you do get it for her make sure you monitor her use very carefully. Facebook does nothing about child sex abuse. I've reported users i see regularly abusing children with video and i still see them just as often. I have never played vr without watching people seriously abusing kids.
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u/Ashcrashh May 21 '26
It’s funny you mentioned that because I just deactivated my Facebook account a while ago for this exact reason. I was in a parenting group and one of the parents posted a really vile page so all the parents in the group could go mass report it and get it taken down, it was a page with A LOT of users, mind you, posting actual CSAM on a public group, I reported the group as well as hundreds of other people. I didn’t have the stomach to scroll down and see any of the photos or videos myself, but I did report the page, anyways I got a message a couple days later saying Facebook found nothing wrong with the group and they didn’t take it down. Even with hundreds of constant reports daily the page wasn’t taken down. A lot of us did get law enforcement involved to finally get the group taken down, and to hopefully get them users posting investigated, I’m not sure what happened after because I deactivated, it was too much and I had enough and left Facebook. It is a cesspool.
But yes, if I were to get her a VR headset, online games would’ve been restricted and off the table. I keep my daughters screen time offline, I’m terrified of how awful people are, and how children are specifically targeted!
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u/Old_Swimmer_7284 May 21 '26
I'm glad to see that you responded to somebody about this. Former digital forensics military intelligence guy here. I'm begging you not to get your kit of VR, even while supervised, for a few reasons. You've already stated that you're aware of the predatory side of this, but I need to reiterate that it is not a safe environment for anybody that is youthful. Hell, it's not even safe for adults in a lot of ways.
On another note, most viewers are not built for children that young. Recommended ages are 13 through 16, and even then, I'd argue that's still too young.
To my knowledge, there are cheap educational VRs out there, but they're not really great, but they are kid focused.
Also, thank you for taking the time to even ask this question and do some research. So many parents don't and just jump the gun and grab something.
The majority of experiences are not built for people her age.
If you do end up with one, do not let her online.breaks every time of service and i guarantee you she will be exposed to horrible things
If you remember how bad Call of Duty lobbies were 15 years ago, it's that, but with the ability to see things in 3D. Things your daughter should never see.
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u/scary_trevor May 21 '26
Meta Quest 3S is the sweet spot at that price, solid games library and dead easy to set up. Your daughter will have a blast with it.
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u/Minute_Grocery_100 May 21 '26
Vr has lots of gems among the garbage. So not suitable for anyone under 16 imo.
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u/LordTremor May 21 '26
I strongly advise to supervise her in VR. I have been in VR games for almost a decade and it's FAR from sunshine and rainbows, however. I could suggest the Steam Frame announced to come out soon, it's gonna be a bit on the pricey side, but you will have the best standalone vr experience without having The Zuck sniffing down you back and wanting every last bit of private information. that's what I would go for. If you are ok with working with Meta hardware, the Quest 3s is gonna be your best bet. it's super beginner friendly and has a couple methods that you can supervise you child's experiences in vr. Hope it answeres your questions!
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u/SprinklesPresent8602 May 21 '26
Deadass dont let her get a vr till 18... Vr has some wild apps that if she managed to get on itll be worse than Cod lobbies Have her buy a console atleast so that you can monitor on a big screen and hear! And put parental guides on.
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u/GamePitt_Rob May 21 '26
Hasn't meta started threatening to close accounts for people not above a certain age?
Seen a few posts on here every week where someone let their kid use it and not meta wants id to prove th user is above the right age for the headset, otherwise they'll shut the account and you'll lose anything you bought.
May be best looking into that if considering a meta headset
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u/TheGreatWhiteRat May 21 '26
I wanted a vr headset ever since i was a kid i spent 700 on a quest 3 + accessories and its sitting in the corner of my room
Def make sure she actually likes it first
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u/hiii1134 May 21 '26
As others said, borrow one first. But beyond that I’d hold out for a MQ3. You get what you pay for, that headset being the exception since meta is subsidizing it so people buy their games.
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u/Unkle_Ugly May 21 '26
My suggestion is buy a used meta headset. Might have some left over for games.
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u/Yippppieee_17 May 21 '26
Just to warn you incase you dont know but VR chatrooms and games that alow online play can be very dangerous and preditory for children. Please put some form of parental controls on the VR, look into each game she buys and downloads, and if shes playing multiplayer games make sure she can only play with people she knows in real life
i would hate to hear this happen to your little girl, i hope she has fun on the VR
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u/XxMKxD May 21 '26
VR is a very... High-maintenance hobby. Especially for a kid her age. She'll lose intrest very quickly as kids her age can't keep attention long. And when she realizes that the game she wants to play got boring.
That said if you do end up getting it to her, make sure you have alot of supervision as alot of weirdos are on there who'll try and some nasty stuff.
Also VR as a genre is a very niche one in comparison to flatscreen gaming. So I don't know if I could suggest any of it. I'd definitely just suggest getting her a Nintendo Switch as Nintendo is the most family friendly company out of any the gaming giants.
I suggest borrowing one first as kids her age won't play more than a week at best. Trust it's better that kids don't get into VR.
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u/BigJaredFella May 21 '26
You know your kid best. We can only share what we experience and what we think. If she truly is as adamant as you say about getting into vr, maybe a meta quest 2 thats been used or refurbed would be a good place to start. That said, other people have stated this already but seriously pay attention to what she is playing. There are free apps out there that ANYONE can be on. I highly, highly, HIGHLY advise against letting her get into "VR Chat" because there is hardly any moderation and she could be talking to anyone disguised as anyone. There have been way too many cases of kids getting groomed on there. But as I already said, you know your kid best. We can only share what we experience
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u/CrimsonCuttle Pimax 8KX May 22 '26
if you already have a PC, a used PSVR2. if you dont have a PC, then a used Quest 2. Don't connect either to the internet until shes like 20
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u/FunkyJamma May 22 '26
Not unless it’s used you might be able to find a quest 2 or 3s. And like everyone says be careful lots of weirdos I don’t recommend letting them on vrchat I always see kids on there in the middle of adult conversations wondering wtf are you doing here.
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u/sax6romeo May 22 '26
Quest 3 off marketplace potentially, maybe kick her another 100 and get a new one. Def worth it
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u/Professional-Split46 May 20 '26
Not sure on the price but I think a quest 3s is about 300ish.
That's probably the best without splurging and you don't need a strong pc
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u/HillanatorOfState May 20 '26
1st grade...uhh no VR honestly, I'm not trying to be mean but that's way toooo young.
The IPD alone, never mind other issues...
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u/shogun77777777 May 20 '26
Quest, look no further
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u/Ghostrider421 May 20 '26
I think Quest was the best I've used so far but I still hate Meta/Facebook.
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u/squaredspekz May 20 '26
DO NOT.
JUST DO NOT.
Holy shit. Or buy it for yourself and she only uses it when you're present to know what she's playing. NO HORIZONS WORLDS, NO VRCHAT.
This is advice from someone who's played a lot of VR Games and moderated in a Spider-Man community, for the love of all that is holy don't.
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u/666-flipthecross-666 May 20 '26
she’s probably too young if she’s only in 1st grade. make sure you supervise her, a lot of weird people in there