SUDDEN Quest 2 Safety Recall… Is VR Dangerous?!

This week, many people who bought a Quest 2 on Amazon got a strange message: a product safety alert dated 27 July 2021, telling them to stop using their headset because of a potential safety issue. If that lands in your inbox out of nowhere, it’s scary, especially if you’ve read the horror stories on Reddit. So here’s what this Quest 2 safety recall is most likely about, and, while we’re at it, what we know about the common worries: can VR damage your health, is it unsafe for kids, and what can you do about it.

What the Quest 2 safety recall is about

First, the good news. The alert is almost certainly linked to the facial interface recall from that same date.

Quest 2 headsets bought before 24 August 2021 came with a face foam that caused skin irritation for a very small percentage of users. Meta (still called Oculus back then) said it affected 0.01% of people using a Quest 2. That was enough for Amazon to pause Quest 2 sales in Europe for a while, after a filing with the EU Commission.

The face covers contained certain substances that irritate skin and eyes. Meta’s investigation found the cause was a few trace substances that are normally present in the manufacturing process, already at levels below the industry standard. Out of caution, Meta changed the process to reduce them further and offered a free silicone cover to everyone who bought the headset before 24 August 2021.

What that means for you:

• Bought before 24 August 2021 and never claimed your cover? At the time of this video you could still contact Meta support to get one.
• Bought after that date? Your headset should already have the new face cover, so there’s nothing to worry about.
• Used the old foam for a long time without any problems? You should be fine.

Some people also said Amazon gave them a refund without asking for the headset back. Your right to a refund or replacement probably still depends on your warranty period.

Why the Amazon alert is so confusing

It’s strange that Amazon sends these alerts one and a half years later, and that it tells people to stop using the whole headset instead of only the face cover. Amazon hasn’t said what the exact issue is. Going by the date on the notice, it’s most likely the face cover. Maybe Amazon only now linked these units to the old recall, or maybe it’s a website bug. We don’t know, except that Amazon is apparently late with notices like this more often.

Frankly, it annoys me that Amazon doesn’t explain clearly what’s going on, because it’s probably scaring people about VR for nothing. So I wanted to go through the most common safety concerns too, now that VR has taken off with millions of headsets sold.

Can VR damage your health?

The most obvious risk is bumping into things in real life. That one is easy to solve: put a mat on the floor so you can feel where your play space is, and make sure you have enough room. Take it from a VR addict: I rarely bump into things anymore.

Headaches, dizziness and nausea

People report headaches, eye strain, dizziness, disorientation and nausea after using headsets. Research says these are symptoms of motion sickness, which is common but has no long-term effects. The best way to recover seems to be limited use: about 15 minutes at a time, with breaks between sessions.

I did exactly that over my six years in VR, and it worked. I used to get sick a lot, and now it rarely happens. The VR community calls that getting your VR legs.

Your eyes and myopia

There are also concerns that VR causes visual fatigue and that regular use could speed up the global rise in myopia (short-sightedness). A study says this can happen with almost any activity you do close to your eyes, including reading paper books, so it isn’t specific to VR or screens.

You can help prevent it with the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.

Still early days

The research so far is reassuring, but VR and the Quest 2 are still new. There isn’t much up-to-date research on long-term effects yet, so more is needed before anyone can be sure.

Is VR unsafe for kids?

Two big rules come with headsets: only use them indoors, and users should be at least 13. That’s probably why headsets like PSVR and Quest carry labels saying they’re not suitable for children under 12 or 14. Most likely that limits the companies’ liability until more research is done.

Scientists think long VR sessions could affect younger people more than adults, because their brains are still developing. Whether that’s really the case, we don’t know yet. For now the advice is:

• supervise your kids’ VR use,
• don’t let them play too long at a time,
• make sure they take regular breaks,
• help them understand the difference between fantasy and reality.

That’s the same advice as for any other media, VR included. And on the positive side, studies on using VR to improve cognition (attention, spatial awareness and learning in general) look very promising.

My own experience after six years of VR

What I can be sure of is my own experience. I’ve used VR almost every day for more than six years, sometimes two hours a day, sometimes six. I haven’t noticed any change in my eyesight or my brain. I still don’t wear glasses, and I think my brain still works. VR has also made me more active, so I feel healthier, and it’s given me a lot of memories I don’t think I’ll ever forget.

Is VR dangerous?

My advice: be careful, but don’t be scared to get into VR. If you want to be extra cautious, limit how long you use it until there are more long-term studies. Anything you use too much is bad for you, so keeping a good balance never hurts. And if you’re here because VR makes you feel sick, my 10 tips to prevent motion sickness helped me a lot over the years.