--- title: "Virtual Reality Has Utterly Failed to Connect With Teens" description: "Virtual reality technology has failed to capture the imagination or interest of American teens, according to a new survey by investment bank Piper Sandler." date: "2023-04-05" modified: "2023-04-05" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/virtual-reality-failed-connect-teens" categories: - "Future Society" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "Meta" - "metaverse" - "the digest" - "virtual reality" - "vr headset" --- # Virtual Reality Has Utterly Failed to Connect With Teens ![Virtual reality technology has failed to capture the imagination or interest of American teens, according to a new survey by investment bank Piper Sandler.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Meh-taverse Virtual reality technology has failed to capture the imagination or interest of American teens, according to a [new survey]() by investment bank Piper Sandler. The survey found that only 29 percent of the 5,600 US teens polled owned a device capable of VR, and only *four* percent of them said they used it daily. A mere seven percent said they were planning on buying a VR headset in the future. A whopping 52 percent said they were either unsure or uninterested — a notable data point, considering Apple is [rumored to announce]() its own headset later this year. In other words, VR has completely failed to connect with the adolescents who have traditionally driven the popularity of new electronics like smartphones or portable music players. ## Declining Interest These results paint a gloomy picture of the future of the tech. While companies, most notably [Facebook-turned-Meta](), have poured billions of dollars into VR, the industry is [still on existentially shaky ground](). In November of last year, Meta [laid off 11,000 employees](), including a number of employees in the company's VR Reality Labs division. Earlier this year, Disney [shut down its entire metaverse division](), while Microsoft shut down a social VR platform it bought in 2017. Even Meta's top-selling Quest 2 headset is already seeing [declining sales](), despite being launched back in 2020. In other words, the fact that the tech isn't catching on with teens is yet another nail in the coffin for VR. "To us, the lukewarm usage demonstrates that VR remains ‘early days’ and that these devices are less important than smartphones," Piper Sandler wrote in its survey. Whether Meta's upcoming next-gen VR headset or Apple's own take will be able to breathe new life into the ailing industry is an open question — but we wouldn't hold our breath. **More on VR:** *[The Metaverse Is Completely Falling Apart]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()