Drivers and Barriers of Metaverse Adoption Among Children and Youth

Metaverse adoption rates remain low despite growing commercial and research interest in the concept of metaverse. Previous studies on the drivers and barriers of metaverse adoption predominantly focused on adult users or university students and are mainly conducted in European, North American, and Gulf-area countries. Given that 80% of metaverse users are under the age of 16, the present study investigates children and youth in Asian countries. We employed the “Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2” and “Innovation Resistance Theory” as frameworks to conduct semi-structured interviews with 40 individuals aged between 13 and 24 years old. The purpose was to understand their metaverse usage habits and the perceived drivers and barriers of adoption. The findings revealed that entertainment, socialization, and education were prevalent activities. Adoption was primarily driven by perceived usefulness, facilitating conditions, and social factors, while major barriers included perceived risks and value concerns.