Coined by a computer scientist in 1987, Virtual Reality (VR) refers to technology that creates a virtual computer-generated environment for a user to interact with.1 Current VR technology includes headsets that immerse a user in many simulated experiences including virtual sex, VR Porn and other sex-related topics.
Augmented Reality (AR) is another technology similar to VR except AR does not replace a user’s vision. Special glasses or smart devices combine real-world images with computer-generated overlays of people or objects.
VR headsets enable a user to watch sexual activity performed on an avatar (a stand-in for their body), learn how to please a sex partner, learn how to navigate sexual situations or explore sexual activities that may be considered taboo by some. Some say that there may be a downside to virtual porn such as leading to unrealistic expectations about sex, and the dehumanization of men and women.
VR headsets are also used by law enforcement to learn how to identify sex trafficking situations by having them be an avatar of a victim in a situation similar to what a trafficked person may experience,2 and by therapists to assist with sexual obstacles.
Virtual sex technology also includes sex toys that can sync and vibrate with the action on the VR screen, or be controlled through electronic devices like a smartphone so that partners can virtually pleasure one another remotely (See related Topics: Cybersex, Electro-Sex, Sex Robots, Sex Toys, Teledildonics and Webcam Sex Workers (Cam Girls)).
The sourced articles below provide more information on Virtual Reality (VR) sex.
Footnotes: 1. “Everything to Know About Virtual Reality,” time.com, 11/20/2015; “Virtual reality: COMPUTER SCIENCE,” britannica.com, 11/11/2019; 2. “Police Officers Are Learning to Spot Sex Trafficking in Virtual Reality,” medium.com, 2/5/2020
- Virtual Reality In The Management Of Male Sexual Dysfunction: An Updated Narrative Review Of The Literature
“Conclusion
While current research has predominantly focused on psychological interventions, VR’s potential in urological practice remains largely unexplored. Future studies are needed to validate VR’s efficacy, optimize its clinical applications, and establish standardized protocols for its integration into MSD management.”Pramod Krishnappa, DNB, FECSM, Simone Tammaro, MD, Jayaramaiah Sneha, MD, FECSM, Prasanna Matippa, DNB, Davide Arcaniolo, MD, Marco De Sio, MD, Celeste Manfredi, MD, PhD, academic.oup.com, 9/12/2025
- The New Technologies That Are Rewiring Sex
“… But as we embrace these tools, we must also rethink trust, authenticity, and the boundaries between digital and physical selves. The future of intimacy will be shaped not just by what technology can do, but by how we choose to use it to enhance, or detract from, human connection.”
Marianne Brandon PhD, reviewed by Michelle Quirk, psychologytoday.com, 5/8/2025
- Advancing Virtual Reality Interventions For Sexuality And Related Emotions: A Systematic Review
Abstract “Improving sexuality remains an unresolved issue within society, and virtual reality (VR) holds promise as a tool to provide accessible interventions that promote sexual health, treat sexual disorders, and improve sexual-related variables, such as body image, sexual self-esteem, sexual communication or cognitive schemas. This systematic review explores existing VR interventions in sexuality, identifies constraints, and proposes an innovative metaverse-based approach to overcome these limitations. …”
Ariana Vila, Maria Sansoni, Giuseppe Riva, link.springer.com, 3/14/2025
- Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy For Sexual Aversion: A Proof-of-concept Study On Acceptability, Adequacy, And Clinical Effects
“Background: Sexual dysfunctions impair the intimate relationships of up to one-third of the population. Virtual reality (VR) offers innovative treatment options for both mental and sexual disorders, such as female orgasmic disorder and erectile disorder. Sexual aversion disorder (SAD)-the anxiety, disgust, and avoidance of sexual contexts-is a chronic condition commonly treated with anxiety-reducing strategies, such as exposure-based therapy. Despite exposure’s efficacy in reducing SAD symptoms, VR exposure therapy’s (VRET) effectiveness remains unexplored for this condition.”
David Lafortune, Valérie A Lapointe, Simon Dubé, Jonathan Bonneau, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 1/3/2025
- VR Is Changing War & Sex, Why Are We Still Acting Like It Is Just A Game?
“VR is also used in large numbers by adults to partake in a more impactful kind of sexual interaction than traditional ‘sexting’. Any partner you want can seem to perform any act you desire with bluetooth-connected accessories remotely connecting the actions of these individuals in real-time. It’s already a more common aspect of modern sex than most people realize, and you can look at the economics of OnlyFans ($6.3 billion in gross revenues for 2024) for an indication of its reach. With the Internet moving bits, and a head-mounted display delivering embodiment, VR enables sex which neither transmits disease through contact nor results in unwanted pregnancy. …”
Ian Hamilton, uploadvr.co, 11/1/2024
- Virtual Reality And Sex Therapy: Future Directions For Clinical Research
“VR offers promising avenues in sex therapy, particularly for the treatment of genital pain disorders or SDs [sexual dysfunction] in which anxiety plays a significant etiological role.”
David Lafortune, Laurence Dion, and Patrice Renaud, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, 2020
- The Ethics Of Realism In Virtual And Augmented Reality
“Extreme violence and assault: The realistic depiction of very obscene scenes portraying extreme acts of physical or sexual assault, including the representation of virtual characters with childlike features involved in any kind of sexual context, raises critical ethical concerns”
Mel Slater, Cristina Gonzalez-Liencres, Patrick Haggard, Charlotte Vinkers, Rebecca Gregory-Clarke, Steve Jelley, Zillah Watson, Graham Breen, Raz Schwarz, William Steptoe, Dalila Szostak, Shivashankar Halan, Deborah Fox and Jeremy Silver, Frontiers in Virtual Reality, frontiersin.org, 3/3/2020
- How Virtual Reality Is Changing the World Of Online Dating
“As shown in Virtually Dating [an entertainment show], a VR date can happen everywhere. Have you ever thought that you could bring your crush on a sunny beach in December, or in an exotic location that is a whole ocean away from your home? Well, VR can do this—even if it just happens in a virtual world.”
Miss Doll, futureofsex.net, 10/22/2019
- Bad Girls Bible Podcast … VR, Teledildonics And Deepfakes With Dr. Holly Richmond
“-The positive roles sex tech can play in someone’s sex life.
-How virtual reality can help to encourage people to experience healthy eroticism.”
Bad Girls Bible, badgirlsbible.libsyn.com, 11/30/2018
- Children’s Brain Cells Changed By Internet Porn: Neurosurgeon
“Porn is destroying the ability to feel emotion. And the push for teen girls to allow boys to perform painful anal sex on them was described as coercion in a recent study of a British medical journal. … And virtual-reality porn films are arriving with fantastic new technology used for simulators. It’s quite expensive but a lot of porn producers are really investing in this right now.”
Medical Xpress, medicalxpress.com, 10/6/2017