As immersive technologies become increasingly accessible to young audiences, developers and creators face an urgent question: How can VR experiences support children’s well-being—not just capture their attention?
Immerse, Play, Thrive explores how virtual and mixed reality experiences can be intentionally designed to help tweens and teens thrive and offers a framework for building immersive experiences that are engaging, developmentally appropriate, and emotionally supportive.
Authored by Senior Fellow Elizabeth Rood, this publication draws on co-design sessions with young people and parents, emerging research on youth well-being and digital play, and insights from immersive media and focuses on three “North Stars” for designing immersive experiences that support positive youth development:
- Emotions: Multi-sensory experiences allow youth to experience, recognize, and regulate a range of emotions
- Relationships: Immersion facilitates social connection to known friends and family
- Autonomy: Youth choose amongst safe immersive play pathways and experience feelings of agency, choice, and freedom while playing
The guide features a foreword by Jesse Schell, CEO of Schell Games, as well as practical design recommendations for developers and content creators.
Immerse, Play, Thrive is part of a two-part series exploring the future of immersive media for children and adolescents. Together, the guides examine how developers can create VR and mixed reality experiences that prioritize safety, creativity, well-being, and positive youth development. Read Potential Power: Developing quality immersive content for tweens and teens here.
