A vehicle seat assembly that includes a seatback frame and an active head restraint system operatively supported by the seatback frame. The active head restraint system includes an upper armature moveably mounted to the seatback frame and a head restraint mounted to the upper armature. The active head restraint system also includes a lower armature operatively attached to the upper armature. The lower armature is operable to move toward the upper armature in response to a predetermined force applied to the lower armature and act on the upper armature to move the head restraint toward the occupant.