Trips to virtual worlds are not always pleasant for women trying them out for the first time
Meta has announced a new feature to allow more personal space for people's avatars in virtual-reality worlds.
The metaverse is still at concept stage but the latest attempts to create virtual worlds are already facing an age-old problem: harassment.
Bloomberg's technology columnist Parmy Olson told the BBC's Tech Tent programme about her own "creepy" experiences.
And one woman likened her own traumatic experience in VR to sexual abuse.
Meta has now announced a new feature, Personal Boundary, which begins rolling out on 4 February. It prevents avatars from coming within a set distance of each other, creating more personal space for people and making it easier to avoid these unwanted interactions.
It stops others "invading your avatar's personal space", said Meta.
"If someone tries to enter your Personal Boundary, the system will halt their forward movement as they reach the boundary."
It is being made available in Meta's Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues software.
The firm said it was a "powerful example of how VR has the potential to help people interact comfortably," but acknowledged there was more work to be done.
Listen to the latest Tech Tent podcast, with more on Meta and the metaverse
For some, the news will be welcome.
Staring
"I did have some moments when it was awkward for me as a woman," Ms Olson said of her interactions in virtual reality (VR).
She was visiting Meta's Horizon Worlds, its virtual-reality platform where anyone 18 or older can create an avatar and hang out.
To do so, users need one of Meta's VR headsets, and the space offers the chance to play games and chat to other avatars, none of whom has legs.
"I could see straight away I was the only woman, the only female avatar. And I had these men kind of come around me and stare at me silently," Ms Olson told Tech Tent.
"Then they started taking pictures of me and giving the pictures to me and I had a moment when a guy zoomed up to me and said something.
"And in virtual reality, if someone is close to you, then the voice sounds like someone is literally talking into your ear. And it took me aback."
She experienced similar discomfort in Microsoft's social VR platform.
"I was talking to another lady and within minutes of us chatting a guy came up and started chatting to us and following us around saying inappropriate things and we had to block him," she said.
"I have since heard of other women who have had similar experiences."
She said while she wouldn't describe it as harassment, it was "creepy and awkward".
Nina Jane Patel went a lot further this week when she told the Daily Mail that she was abused in Horizon Venues, likening it to sexual assault. She described how a group of male avatars "groped her" and subjected her to a stream of sexual innuendo. They photographed her and sent a message reading: "Don't pretend you didn't love it."
Meta responded to the paper saying that it was sorry. "We want everyone to have a positive experience and easily find the safety tools that can help in a situation like this - and help us investigate and take action."
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