Article (UK) Police investigate virtual sex assault on girl's avatar (VR laws & ethics)

[C C]

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67865327

EXCERPTS: Police are investigating a virtual sexual assault of a girl's avatar, the chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has said. Donna Jones said she had learned that a complaint was made in 2023, triggering a police inquiry.

[...] Ian Critchley of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) wrote that the metaverse - a collective name given to a range of virtual 3D spaces and technologies - had created a "gateway for predators to commit horrific crimes against children, crimes we know have lifelong impacts both emotionally and mentally".

"We must see much more action from tech companies to do more to make their platforms safe places", he added.

[...] The impact of the attack on the girl's avatar was said to be heightened because of the immersive nature of the VR experience.

According to an unnamed senior officer familiar with the matter who spoke to the paper the victim, under 16 at the time, suffered psychological trauma "similar to that of someone who has been physically raped".

But in criminal law, rape and sexual assault require there to have been physical contact.

Some argue that legal changes may be necessary to ensure that those responsible for sexually motivated attacks on avatars in virtual worlds can be prosecuted and punished effectively.

But others suggest there may be existing laws, for example against the creation of synthetic child abuse images, which could be used as the basis of prosecutions in virtual world cases... (MORE - missing details)

[Zinjanthropos]

According to an unnamed senior officer familiar with the matter who spoke to the paper the victim, under 16 at the time, suffered psychological trauma "similar to that of someone who has been physically raped"..

Big question is: Can one develop PTSD from playing video games? Someone at Quora says yes but there isn’t anything definitive on internet, no study afaik. Imagining nearly an entire world with the disorder if true. Might think there wil be many more violent sufferers of PTSD walking the streets, amongst co-workers, attending schools, etc. Yikes!

[stryder]

According to an unnamed senior officer familiar with the matter who spoke to the paper the victim, under 16 at the time, suffered psychological trauma "similar to that of someone who has been physically raped"..

Big question is: Can one develop PTSD from playing video games? Someone at Quora says yes but there isn’t anything definitive on internet, no study afaik. Imagining nearly an entire world with the disorder if true. Might think there wil be many more violent sufferers of PTSD walking the streets, amongst co-workers, attending schools, etc. Yikes!

I don't think it's just the concern of the person being victimised virtually. It's also the potential build up of the person that was acting out virtually. What happens if they decide to go further and do things in the real? It makes sense to clamp down on it before it becomes that problem.

[Zinjanthropos]

I don't think it's just the concern of the person being victimised virtually. It's also the potential build up of the person that was acting out virtually. What happens if they decide to go further and do things in the real? It makes sense to clamp down on it before it becomes that problem.

I can see some people using video to perhaps perfect their technique and then there are the mentally disturbed, criminally insane, the guys who hear voices , etc. Maybe virtual can be used as therapy or at least diminish the thoughts of acting out those wicked desires. My brain just flashed back to A Clockwork Orange for a second.