VRChat Safety Guide for Parents
What parents need to know about VRChat — a virtual reality social platform with significant risks from stranger contact, harassment, and immersive environments.
Official age
13+
We recommend
18+
Developer
VRChat Inc.
Risks
4
Overview
VRChat is a free-to-use social virtual reality platform where users — represented by custom avatars — can interact in virtual worlds, attend events, and socialise with strangers from around the world. While it can be accessed in standard desktop mode, it is primarily designed for virtual reality headsets. VRChat is largely unmoderated, and the immersive nature of VR means that harassment, inappropriate content, and grooming in this environment can feel significantly more distressing and physically immediate than on a flat-screen platform.
How children use it
Teenagers are typically drawn to VRChat through gaming communities, YouTube, or friends. They explore user-created worlds, socialise with avatars, attend virtual events and clubs, and in some cases form long-term online friendships within the platform. The creative tools for building worlds and custom avatars are also a draw for technically minded young people.
Main risks
Recommended privacy settings
Safety Settings
Location: VRChat in-game → Main Menu → Safety
Set to: New User or Visitor shield — restrict voice, avatars, and interaction from unknowns
VRChat's Safety system applies default restrictions to users below a trust level. Keeping safety settings at a restrictive level significantly reduces exposure to unknown users' avatars and voices.
Trust Level Awareness
Location: Social menu → User profiles
Set to: Only interact with Trusted or Known users
VRChat assigns trust levels to users based on account age and behaviour. Encouraging your child to only interact with higher-trust users reduces exposure to fresh accounts, which are more commonly associated with harmful behaviour.
Parent actions
Discuss VRChat with your child if they have a VR headset — understand whether they are using it and what worlds they are spending time in
Time: 20 minutes
Explain that the immersive nature of VR makes harassment feel more intense and that it is never acceptable — and that they can and should block anyone who makes them uncomfortable
Time: 15 minutes
For under-16s, consider whether VRChat is appropriate at all given the lack of effective moderation and high prevalence of adult users and content
Time: Ongoing