Smart glasses could be spying on your child in the classroom, education experts warn

Schools have banned mobile phones but experts warn an innocent-looking new gadget risks turning classroom lessons into viral videos – for all the wrong reasons.

Australian education leaders have spent years perfecting the mobile phone ban, but a new $450 device threatens to unravel all that work.

Smart glasses that look identical to regular eyewear could become the next biggest surveillance threat in Australian classrooms, researchers have warned.

These devices go a step further than smartphones and can livestream lessons, capture footage for deepfakes, and turn safe learning spaces into viral videos – all while looking like everyday eyewear.

The technology is already on sale at major retailers and some optometrists, but new research by Victoria University has found school policies haven’t caught up, leaving students and teachers vulnerable to a new form of surveillance in the classroom.

Hollywood A-listers Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt in an ad for Ray-Ban’s Meta AI-powered smart glasses.

Digital technologies researcher Dr Andrew Welsman said smart glasses – priced at under $100 for budget models with video capability from online retailers – are almost indistinguishable from everyday eyewear, making them difficult to detect and easy to forget when wearing them.

“Unlike everyday eyewear, smart glasses can share our movements and interactions at school with big tech companies,” he said.

“Imagine a student’s behaviour being livestreamed from the classroom, or a staff member forgetting to take them off on the way home – they may unintentionally auto-doxx themselves, which could quickly go viral.

“With smart glasses, safe spaces can be turned into public spectacles in an instant.”

An influencer known as Sayed approaches women on the sand and records them with his smart glasses without their knowledge. Picture: Instagram

While the savvy accessories do have benefits – such as providing greater opportunities for inclusivity through its object recognition functions for vision-impaired students, and reading support for those with dyslexia – Victoria University senior lecturer Dr Janine Arantes said they pose a real threat to students’ safety in the classroom.

“The discreet design of smart glasses, at a price point many can afford, makes covert recordings less noticeable, increasing the risk of misuse without detection – until the harm is done,” she said.

Victoria University researcher Dr Janine Arantes has issued a warning about smart glasses and their potential for doxxing or creating deepfakes.

Dr Arantes was also deeply concerned about how smart glasses could further exacerbate the issue of deepfakes.

In recent months, a number of schools in Victoria have had to discipline students for using artificial intelligence to doctor images of their peers – some of which were transformed into fake, sexually-explicit images.

The researchers found smart glasses could go a step further, by covertly capturing new images and footage in classroom and school settings – giving students access to even more content that could be used to create deepfakes.

“This concern is particularly urgent given the rising incidence of sexual harassment against female teachers and students, and the relative ease with which deepfakes can now be created,” Dr Arantes said.

Smart glasses conceal a range of hi-tech functions including the ability to covertly capture video.

Consequently, Dr Arantes and Dr Welsman are calling on state and federal leaders to develop policies to not only promote the safe use of such technology, but to also have an approach to tackle misuse.

“We’re calling on government and industry to raise awareness of smart glasses’ unique form and functionalities, and to consider to what extent their policies make sure educators and students are safe in the classroom,” Dr Welsman said.

“Smart glasses have many beneficial features, especially for those with hearing and vision disabilities, however without guardrails smart glasses and similar technologies could become very dangerous.”

Until policies and regulations catch up, parents are advised to “check before they buy”, particularly those who may be purchasing smart glasses with a prescription.

Other tips include asking the individual school what its policies around smart glasses are and being mindful that some students require them to assist with a disability.

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Originally published as Smart glasses could be spying on your child in the classroom, education experts warn