"Even though you feel like it's good, it isn't": Surfacing the Ethical Priorities of Powerful Male Youth Targeted for Racial Oppression through Evaluating and Co-Designing XR Utopian and Dystopian Use Cases

Extended reality (XR) technologies have become more advanced and affordable in recent years, leading to greater familiarity and adoption among US families and youth-serving institutions. While these tools show promise in enhancing children's education, healthcare, and recreation, ethical considerations around safety, accessibility, and impact—particularly for children from historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups—warrant further investigation. This study engaged 17 local, primarily Black, middle school male youth in evaluating and co-designing utopian and dystopian XR use cases to surface their ethical perspectives. We found that our participants emphasized individual responsibilities like self-discipline, self-care, and skepticism of virtual content; broader societal concerns about entrapment and diminished community agency; and design opportunities for promoting equity and access. Based on these findings, we offer design and methodological recommendations to better integrate the perspectives of male youth targeted for racial oppression into XR innovation to ensure that these tools are ethical, inclusive, and responsive to the communities they serve.