Virtual reality technologies (VRTs) are high-tech human–computer interfaces used to develop digital content and can be applied to multiple different areas, often offering innovative solutions to existing problems. A wide range of digital games is being also developed with VRTs and together with their components, the games' structural elements are appealing to children and engaging them more in virtual worlds. Our research interest is directed towards children's development and the effects of VRTs within gaming environments. Contemporary psychology studies perceive human development as a holistic and lifelong process with important interrelationships between physical, mental, social and emotional aspects. For the objectives and scope of this work, we examine children development across three domains: physical, cognitive and psychosocial. In this context, the authors review the literature on the impact of VRTs on children, in terms of software and hardware. Since research requires an wide-ranging approach, we study the evidence reported on the brain and neural structure, knowledge, behaviour, pedagogy, academic performance, and wellness. Our main concern is to outline the emerging ethical issues and worries of parents, educators, ophthalmologists, neurologists, psychologists, paediatricians and all relevant scientists, as well as the industry’s views and actions. The systematic review was performed on the databases Scopus, IEEE Xplore, PubMed, and Google Scholar from 2010 to 2020 and 85 studies were selected. The review concluded that findings remain contradictory especially for the psychosocial domain. Official recommendations from organizations and well-documented researches by academics on child well-being are reassuring if health and safety specifications and particularly the time limit are met. Research is still ongoing, constantly updated and consist of a priority for the scientific community given that technology evolves.

虚拟现实技术 (VRT) 是用于开发数字内容的高科技人机界面，可应用于多个不同领域，通常为现有问题提供创新解决方案。使用 VRT 开发的范围广泛的数字游戏及其组件，游戏的结构元素对儿童具有吸引力，并使他们更多地参与虚拟世界。我们的研究兴趣是针对儿童的发展和 VRT 在游戏环境中的影响。当代心理学研究将人类发展视为一个整体和终身的过程，在身体、心理、社会和情感方面之间存在重要的相互关系。对于这项工作的目标和范围，我们检查了三个领域的儿童发展：身体、认知和社会心理。在此背景下，作者从软件和硬件方面回顾了有关 VRT 对儿童影响的文献。由于研究需要广泛的方法，我们研究了关于大脑和神经结构、知识、行为、教育学、学习成绩和健康的证据。我们主要关注的是概述父母、教育工作者、眼科医生、神经科医生、心理学家、儿科医生和所有相关科学家的新出现的伦理问题和担忧，以及行业的观点和行动。从 2010 年到 2020 年，对 Scopus、IEEE Xplore、PubMed 和 Google Scholar 数据库进行了系统评价，并选择了 85 项研究。审查得出的结论是，调查结果仍然相互矛盾，尤其是在心理社会领域。如果满足健康和安全规范，特别是时间限制，组织的官方建议和学者关于儿童福祉的有据可查的研究令人放心。鉴于技术的发展，研究仍在进行中，不断更新，并成为科学界的优先事项。