Teenage girls struggling with social anxiety often find everyday situations overwhelming, from speaking in class to socialising with peers. New research suggests that immersive virtual reality experiences may offer an unexpected way to ease that burden, using simulated extreme sports to reduce anxiety, stress, and low mood. The findings were published in Acta Psychologica.
The study focused on adolescent girls diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, a condition that can severely disrupt emotional well-being, school life, and relationships. Many young people find traditional treatments difficult to access or sustain, particularly when therapy feels intimidating or medication brings unwanted side effects. Against this background, researchers explored whether digital tools could provide a more engaging alternative.
In the trial, 130 girls aged between 13 and 17 took part in a three-week programme involving virtual reality extreme sports. Wearing headsets, participants experienced activities such as simulated climbing and high-altitude challenges in a controlled digital environment. These sessions were designed to feel intense enough to trigger anxiety responses, while remaining physically safe.
The results showed clear improvements among those who took part in the virtual reality sessions. Compared with a control group who followed standard physical activities without virtual reality, the girls using immersive simulations reported significantly lower levels of anxiety, stress, and depression by the end of the programme. The changes were consistent across emotional measures, suggesting a broad benefit rather than a narrow effect.
The researchers believe the impact comes from several interacting factors. Virtual reality allows young people to confront physical sensations linked to anxiety, such as increased heart rate, in a setting that feels challenging but manageable. Repeated exposure in this way may help reduce fear of those sensations, making them less overwhelming in daily life.
At the same time, completing demanding tasks in a virtual environment can build confidence. For adolescents who often avoid situations where they fear judgement, mastering difficult challenges may strengthen self-belief and emotional resilience. The immersive nature of virtual reality also shifts attention outward, reducing the self-focused rumination that often fuels social anxiety.
Importantly, the approach avoids many of the risks associated with real-world extreme sports. While activities like climbing or high-line walking can boost confidence, they also carry physical dangers that make them unsuitable for vulnerable teenagers. Virtual reality recreates the emotional intensity without exposing participants to injury.
The findings arrive amid growing interest in digital mental health tools, particularly those that resonate with younger generations. Mental health apps, online therapy, and virtual reality programmes are increasingly seen as ways to bridge gaps in access to care, especially in schools and community settings where resources are limited.
Researchers caution that virtual reality is not a replacement for established treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy. Instead, it may work best as a complement, offering an engaging entry point for young people who struggle with conventional approaches. Longer-term studies will be needed to see how lasting the benefits are and whether similar results appear in more diverse groups.
Even so, the study highlights the potential of immersive technology to address anxiety in teenagers in new ways, blending physical challenge, emotional exposure, and digital familiarity into a single intervention.