According to the narrative, an article revealed that an F&J device is a form of addictive technology. From a utilitarian viewpoint, it is clear that this MR technology will increase the revenues of the company while causing addiction. This business strategy is ethically wrong. On the other hand, utilitarianism makes it ethically sound for the parent to accept the monetary offer from the manufacturers of F&J. This is because; the financial gains from this offer will help him afford the appropriate clinical intervention needed to treat his son’s agoraphobia.
Duty-based ethics requires us to respond accordingly to specific issues depending on how right or wrong they appear (Salloch & Micha 41). People need to act accordingly to ensure maximum social benefits regardless of the outcomes related to an arising issue. Therefore, it is ethically wrong for the parent to accept the hush money offer from F&J manufacturers. Revealing the problem to the public will enable the company to refine its policies and inform regulatory authorities to implement laws that guarantee privacy and consumer protection.
The Kantian theory requires every person to act in a morally acceptable standard (Salloch & Micha 40). The parent must inform his son about the possible addiction issues related to F&J. Moreover, he should discuss this with his wife and the potential to identify any other gift for his son. Whereas the treatment cost for the son’s agoraphobia seems to be expensive, it is ethically right for the parents to ensure that they adhere to the treatment. Moreover, it could be morally right if they seek a physician’s endorsement of the F&J MR device. Overall, it was ethically wrong to sideline the addiction issues that are linked to F&J while making the purchase. Nonetheless, it is morally right for the family to reject the company’s hush money and continue with clinically recommended interventions to treat agoraphobia. Revealing privacy issues to the public is an aspect of virtue ethics, which can be rewarding in the end. Confidentiality and privacy of users is a significant concern that technology companies are struggling to address. Developers of advanced healthcare technologies, particularly wearable devices, are required to adhere to legislation. This includes the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which promotes advancements in information technology while safeguarding both ethical and professional standards (Cohen & Michele 232).
We should adopt VR and MR products that address both ethical and technological advancement concerns simultaneously. Technological advancements should support the development of products that uphold human values while exhibiting the gains in computer technology development. While manufacturers might believe that everyone can choose between right and wrong, most parents and children lack the expertise to enable them to choose between the two independently. For instance, in this case, the parents bought an MR tool as a birthday gift for their son. Yet, it turns out that the device is addictive and has privacy concerns. These findings raise awareness about the ethical concerns for virtual reality devices. Therefore, stakeholders should inform policies that require manufacturers to adhere to standard codes of ethics that are relative to VR devices (Shakib & Layton 4).
An ethical rating system for every form of VR/MR technology should be developed to assess the level of adherence to moral standards. Users will be able to identify the devices with low ethical ratings and decide whether they are the most suited for entertainment purposes. In these contexts, lower moral scores for VR/MR gadgets may be attributable to privacy concerns and users' addiction problems. The VR/MR devices that report the lowest ethical scores should be the subject of review by the quality assurance authority. Varying ethical perceptions for different entertainment and performance enhancement VR/MR devices may help manufacturers employ customer-centric production policies. This may further increase their ethical scores while enhancing customer preference for their products (Bird & Brandon 60).
Medical practitioners should consistently monitor a patient’s participation in the simulated environments to address the ethical concerns in VR/MR-related therapies. This intervention will enable providers to observe the client’s instant reactions instead of depending on unverified verbal reports. Virtual reality has great potential in phobia treatment and management. Well-informed healthcare policies can help patients access safe and affordable VR therapies in clinical environments. These policies will ensure that clients get a supportive presence of healthcare personnel to see if the client is addicted to unfamiliar virtual situations. On the other hand, the policies can be informed to establish clinical guidelines for ensuring maximum benefit and reduced addiction to VR/MR therapies. Virtual therapies should allow the involvement of immediate family members to open up the possibility of shared experiences, which can significantly help in the early recognition of addiction issues.
Getting technology companies to commit to ethical standards is an absolute necessity for VR/MR technologies, which are intended for therapeutic and entertainment purposes. Companies that appreciate the need for ethical considerations must ensure that they propagate ethical manufacturing into developing VR/MR tools that do not record personal information. Therefore, policymakers should enact laws that ensure the commitment of all technology companies to these ethical goals. These policies will help potential users understand the potential ethical issues associated with VR/MR technologies that they have not explored.
Many psychologists have proven that the environment influences human behavior. This underlying assumption provides a basis for understanding how clients respond to virtual reality environments and their resulting attachments to those contexts. Consequently, researchers associate the utilization of virtual reality technology with long-term psychological problems. These issues include risky content, privacy concerns, reduced embodied interactions, and long-term immersion. These issues call for critical inquiries by regulatory authorities to guide ethical manufacturing practices (Rose 148).