Objective To explore an effective method to relieve separation anxiety in children in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Methods A total of 100 children admitted to the PICU were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group, with 50 cases in each group. The control group received nursing care to divert children′s attention by iPad on the basis of routine psychological intervention, while the observation group received nursing care to divert children′s attention by virtual reality technology on the basis of routine psychological intervention. Children′s separation anxiety scores, heart rate and blood pressure before and after the intervention were compared between the two groups. Results The separation anxiety scores at each time period in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group, and the heart rate after the intervention was significantly lower than that in the control group (all P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in blood pressure before and after the intervention between the two groups (all P>0.05). Conclusion Virtual reality technology can enable children in the PICU to quickly achieve a state of physical and mental relaxation, alleviate separation anxiety, and has good safety.