Ethical Risks and Governance Paths in Metaverse Education: A Multi-Stakeholder Perspective

Abstract

The rapid development of metaverse education has brought innovative changes to the field of education, while also triggering a series of ethical risks that cannot be ignored. From the perspective of multi-stakeholders including governments, educational institutions, technology developers, teachers, and learners, this study systematically identifies the ethical risk types of metaverse education, analyzes the formation mechanism of risks, and explores targeted governance paths. Based on literature review, case analysis and expert interviews, this study divides the ethical risks of metaverse education into five categories: data privacy and security risks, virtual identity and right infringement risks, cognitive bias and value guidance risks, educational equity and access gap risks, and technical dependence and alienation risks. The formation of these risks is the result of the interaction of multiple factors such as immature technical standards, imperfect regulatory systems, inadequate ethical literacy of stakeholders, and asymmetric information. Corresponding to this, this study proposes a multi-dimensional governance framework covering institutional construction, technical supervision, ethical education, and stakeholder collaboration. This research enriches the research perspective of metaverse education governance, provides theoretical support and practical guidance for resolving ethical risks in metaverse education, and promotes the healthy and sustainable development of metaverse education.