Western Australia Announces Strict Public School Ban on Smart Glasses Over Privacy and AI Risks

Western Australia is set to introduce what the state government describes as the nation's most comprehensive ban on smart glasses across all public schools. Announced by Education Minister Sabine Winton, the new policy will forbid students, staff, parents, carers, and contractors from wearing or storing the devices on school premises.

The sweeping restrictions, which are scheduled to take effect at the start of term 4, will apply broadly to all school environments. This includes not only classrooms and playgrounds, but also offsite locations where students and staff represent their school, such as sports events, excursions, and other official school activities.

Smart glasses closely resemble ordinary eyewear but are equipped with built-in technology allowing wearers to capture images, video, and audio discreetly with the press of a button. Because it is often difficult to tell when the recording features are active, the devices have increasingly drawn public scrutiny and privacy concerns.

Addressing the policy change, Education Minister Sabine Winton stated that while the gadgets might appear appealing to some, they have no place in educational settings. She pointed to growing community apprehension regarding the potential for careless, criminal, or malicious activity as consumer accessibility and popularity rise.

Despite the preemptive nature of the policy, Minister Winton noted that the Department of Education has not recorded any actual instances of smart glasses being used irresponsibly within WA schools. Instead, the initiative is designed as a preventive measure to address emerging risks before incidents occur.

The ban has drawn support from education leadership groups. WA Principals Federation President Kya Graves welcomed the announcement, noting that individual school principals had previously been forced to navigate the issue independently by creating makeshift site-specific policies in the absence of a unified departmental directive.

Experts have also highlighted the technological risks associated with wearable recording devices. Curtin University Professor of Internet Studies Tama Leaver noted that the policy comes as little surprise given the mounting negative attention surrounding smart glasses. He pointed out that while the devices possess legitimate consumer uses, children lack the developmental maturity required to navigate complex ethical filming questions.

Professor Leaver explained that beyond the immediate fear of unauthorized or indecent recordings of children, the technology introduces significant risks related to artificial intelligence. With basic AI tools, individuals can use short video snippets to generate convincing deepfakes—fake photos, videos, or audio recordings depicting real people performing or saying things they never did. Because creating a deepfake can require as little as 30 seconds of source footage, restricting access in schools aims to curb unauthorized data collection that could feed malicious AI generation.

Additionally, Professor Leaver suggested that a formal school ban could empower parents to enforce stricter guidelines at home, providing a framework for families to discuss digital safety and privacy boundaries.

While personal mobile phones and electronic devices face various forms of restrictions across all Australian states and territories, Western Australia's policy goes a step further by entirely prohibiting the possession of smart glasses by anyone stepping onto school grounds. Neighboring jurisdictions are also reviewing their approaches; Victoria has announced plans to ban wearable devices such as smartwatches and smart glasses starting in January 2027, while South Australian officials are evaluating local laws and discussing nationally consistent regulations with the federal attorney-general.

Private and independent schools in Western Australia have been urged by the education minister to adopt similar bans. However, the policy includes provisions allowing principals to grant targeted exemptions for students who require specific devices for medical conditions or special needs.