Family guide to virtual reality
Written by Catherine Allen, Limina Immersive
Illustrations by Susan Yung
July 17, 2025
Foreword
Virtual reality (VR) is an emerging technology that we believe has the power to transform the way people connect and strengthen bonds in so many ways. We’ve consistently heard about how families in particular enjoy using their Quest headsets in the household as a tool to spend time together and enrich family life, and we have continued to build for families and children 10+ through parental supervision tools and parent-managed accounts.
We’ve heard that parents and guardians want more guidance on how they can use their headsets as a family, and suggestions to get the most out of their device. To help provide that, we collaborated with Catherine Allen, a VR safety expert at Limina Immersive, to create this guide in consultation with parents and families. In it, you’ll find tips from VR-enthusiast families on how they use their Quest at home, including activity and content guides, as well as suggestions for set up and how to ensure a fun and safe experience for the whole family. We hope this guide will spark some new ideas to use your Quest!
By Natalie Chyi, Reality Labs Policy Manager
Family Guide to Virtual Reality
Understanding the basics
Sharing in VR activities
Setting up your space for VR
Ensuring child wellbeing in VR
Socializing in VR
Understanding the basics
VR is unlike any other technologies of the past. If there is a Meta Quest in your household, you own one of the most powerful immersive devices ever created; a small, wearable computer that is both capable of transporting you to new worlds and augmenting your home with virtual wonders. With this technology you have both a gateway to new incredible experiences and a tool to support you in every day family life.
Because VR is still relatively new, however, devices like the Meta Quest devices may not yet have such an obvious current place in daily life like smartphones, computers or televisions do. Many parents remember, not that long ago, a time before smartphones became second nature, and immersive tech is in a similar moment right now — exciting, full of potential, but also unfamiliar terrain. This guide aims to help you and your family make the most of this powerful new form of media. It offers plenty of ideas for how your Meta Quest, combined with the right apps, can become a meaningful part of family life, along with essential safety and wellbeing tips.
To put this guide together we spoke to some of the many, many families who are heavily experienced Meta Quest users. These are families who are already using the Meta Quest all the time, and who are finding it adds value to their lives in all sorts of ways. You’ll see experiences from these ‘super user’ families peppered throughout this guide — they have so much immersive wisdom to share!
What is VR? What is MR?
One question people often ask first is what are VR and MR?
The Meta Quest allows you to do both. Here’s a simple way to think about it:
- VR (virtual reality) puts you inside a completely virtual space.
- MR (mixed reality) adds digital things to your real world, but can also allow you to seamlessly transition back to VR. Digital objects and characters can interact with your real space.
If you’re using a Meta Quest, you’re already experiencing VR and likely MR as well. Immersive technology is a term that encompasses both VR and MR, as well as other technologies that surround the user and allow for an enhanced sense of presence.
VR Examples
An example of a VR experience from the Beat Saber app
An example of a VR experience from the Population: One app
MR Examples
An example of an MR experience in the First Encounters app
An example of an MR experience in the Miracle Pool app
The power lies in the way it fully engages both the body and the mind, transforming a user from passive viewer to active participant.
Something interesting we found when talking to our Quest ‘super users’ was how they felt that VR is a different sort of ‘screen time.’ VR time is usually more active than flat screen time, physically and mentally. While VR definitely still uses a screen, the fact you bring your body into the experience makes it feel very different, even more akin to active outdoor play. Several parents we spoke to mentioned that in the winter months, the Quest can keep the family moving, whatever the weather.
This observation from parents points to the fact that VR is fundamentally different to other forms of screen media — it isn’t something you simply watch, it’s something you do. Virtual reality places you inside an experience, rather than looking at a flat rectangular screen. While websites are something you visit, TV shows are something you watch and podcasts are something you listen to, an experience on the Quest is something you participate in.
Because VR surrounds the senses, it feels immediate. There is no symbolic representation of a place, but instead the feeling of being there directly. This immediacy can spark all sorts of genuine physical reactions, from an increased heart rate in an action game to a lowered blood pressure during the peaceful calm of a simulated woodland at dawn.
VR involves your entire body. Even if you’re sitting still, your brain perceives you as in that environment. As one of our ‘super user’ research participants told us, "If my daughter’s playing a 3D piano app, she physically sees the keys in midair. Her mind and arms remember the arrangement in ways that reading a book can’t match." Another participant told us, when talking about his son’s favorite Quest app, "It’s not just pressing buttons, you’re physically ducking to dodge or stepping forward to explore."
This embodiment also often makes immersive experiences more memorable. As many of us have experienced ourselves, we tend to learn by doing, so VR is perfect for educational content.
So what do these super powers described above mean for a Meta Quest headset in everyday family life? In essence, a VR headset is a highly effective multitool that can be put to lots of different experiential purposes. Your device can do so much, from taking you on a field trip, to whisking you off to a virtual theatre show, to motivating you for a morning work out.
Ultimately, VR’s power lies in the way it fully engages both the body and the mind. That transformation from passive viewer to active participant makes it extraordinary.
So what makes immersive tech so special?
The power lies in the way it fully engages both the body and the mind, transforming a user from passive viewer to active participant.
Active play
Something interesting we found when talking to our Quest ‘super users’ was how they felt that VR is a different sort of ‘screen time.’ VR time is usually more active than flat screen time, physically and mentally. While VR definitely still uses a screen, the fact you bring your body into the experience makes it feel very different, even more akin to active outdoor play. Several parents we spoke to mentioned that in the winter months, the Quest can keep the family moving, whatever the weather.
This observation from parents points to the fact that VR is fundamentally different to other forms of screen media — it isn’t something you simply watch, it’s something you do. Virtual reality places you inside an experience, rather than looking at a flat rectangular screen. While websites are something you visit, TV shows are something you watch and podcasts are something you listen to, an experience on the Quest is something you participate in.
Because VR surrounds the senses, it feels immediate. There is no symbolic representation of a place, but instead the feeling of being there directly. This immediacy can spark all sorts of genuine physical reactions, from an increased heart rate in an action game to a lowered blood pressure during the peaceful calm of a simulated woodland at dawn.
Involving the body, not just the mind
VR involves your entire body. Even if you’re sitting still, your brain perceives you as in that environment. As one of our ‘super user’ research participants told us, "If my daughter’s playing a 3D piano app, she physically sees the keys in midair. Her mind and arms remember the arrangement in ways that reading a book can’t match." Another participant told us, when talking about his son’s favorite Quest app, "It’s not just pressing buttons, you’re physically ducking to dodge or stepping forward to explore."
This embodiment also often makes immersive experiences more memorable. As many of us have experienced ourselves, we tend to learn by doing, so VR is perfect for educational content.
So what do these super powers described above mean for a Meta Quest headset in everyday family life? In essence, a VR headset is a highly effective multitool that can be put to lots of different experiential purposes. Your device can do so much, from taking you on a field trip, to whisking you off to a virtual theatre show, to motivating you for a morning work out.
Ultimately, VR’s power lies in the way it fully engages both the body and the mind. That transformation from passive viewer to active participant makes it extraordinary.
The best mindset to get the most out of VR
Get the whole family involved
A recurring theme in our interviews was that VR works best when the whole family engages, not just the kids. Parents who actively use the Quest alongside their children, or stay engaged with the kids’ VR use not only have more fun themselves but also can make the experience safer and more enriching for the whole family.
When parents participate, they can help find apps and experiences they know their kids will enjoy, and even come up with ideas for family VR activities. Parents can also spot potential issues early, for instance knowing if a game is appropriate for the age and comfort level of their child.
Check out Ensuring child wellbeing in VR for more on how to guide your child as they explore immersive technology.
Another benefit of parental engagement in VR is that parents can model healthy tech habits. Just like other forms of screen time, balance is important. Because VR is so new, however, it can be hard to gauge when, and for how long it feels right. Similar to modeling behavior for mobile phones and console games, a parent can set an example of how to engage with VR, and for what purpose. More information on modeling good digital behaviors can be found here.
The Meta Quest is a flexible tool
One of the biggest misconceptions about immersive tech is that it’s for gaming and nothing else. Some families love playing competitive multiplayer games, while others prefer immersing themselves in VR stories, attending live concerts or working out together. VR is a flexible tool that can be shaped to fit your family’s interests.
Feel confident, calm and open
If putting on a VR headset for the first time makes you feel a little silly, don’t worry, that feeling passes quickly! In fact, many of the families we spoke to said they hesitated at first, but once they got used to it, the device became a meaningful part of their household rhythm.
Ultimately, the best mindset for VR is a mix of calmness and openness. VR works like a kind of magic — it creates the illusion of presence, making virtual spaces feel real. The more you allow yourself to embrace that magic, the more immersive and rewarding your experience will be.
Conclusion
VR is a powerful new medium: it is one that turns screen time into something active and immersive. Unlike many other digital experiences, VR isn’t just something you watch; it’s something you do.
Immersive tech is still evolving, and there’s no single right way to integrate it into family life. Experiment, adapt, and find what works for your household. With curiosity and an open mind, your Meta Quest can become more than just a gadget, it can become both a gateway and a tool to all sorts of new experiences.
To learn more, scroll to the top of the page and click on the “Sharing in VR activities” tab.
FEATURED NEWS AND RESOURCES
Meta Horizon and Meta Quest parent user guide
Read more
