A growing number of private schools in the United Kingdom have implemented bans on Meta's smart glasses, citing concerns over potential bullying and privacy violations.
The glasses, which resemble ordinary sunglasses or spectacles, are equipped with tiny cameras that critics argue could be used for surreptitious filming, raising privacy issues. This has led to bans in various settings, including courtrooms and businesses, and now educational institutions are following suit.
Haberdashers' Boys' School in Hertfordshire will enforce a new rule banning the technology from its grounds starting this September. Woodbridge School in Suffolk has also introduced a similar prohibition, updating its mobile phone policy to explicitly state that "The use of smart glasses will not be permitted on school grounds by students, parents, visitors or staff." Shrewsbury School in Shropshire had previously alerted parents last year about the risks associated with the glasses.
In communications to parents, these fee-paying schools highlighted concerns about privacy and child safety. Shrewsbury School, in a message seen by The Daily Telegraph, stated, "While these developments are exciting, they also raise important questions about privacy and safety in a school environment. Smart glasses can discreetly record, livestream or share content instantly and therefore can pose risks to pupils, staff and visitors."
The potential for misuse in bullying scenarios has also been a significant factor. A study of schools in America reportedly found that a substantial number of videos captured with such technology involved harassment or bullying of students.
These school bans are part of a broader trend of restrictions on Meta glasses. The University of Glasgow has advised students against wearing them during exams to prevent potential cheating using the built-in assistant. Earlier this month, courts across England and Wales issued warnings that individuals attempting to enter courthouses with the glasses would have them confiscated.
Businesses are also restricting their use. The pub chain Wetherspoons has banned customers from wearing Meta glasses, stating that the devices appear to breach their policy against filming customers or employees without consent by enabling covert surveillance. Customers wishing to enter Wetherspoons' more than 800 venues will be asked to "turn off the cameras."
Sir Tim Martin, Chairman of Wetherspoons, commented, "The general code that applies in our pubs, and most pubs, is that you can't film customers or employees without their permission. Meta glasses seem to breach this code, and common sense, by enabling surreptitious surveillance, so our instinct is to say turn off the cameras. This is akin to our efforts to stop audible playing of videos in our pubs, which also invades people's space."
Even Instagram, a platform owned by Meta, has taken steps to ban accounts that are suspected of using the glasses to secretly film individuals.
Despite the increasing backlash, Meta's smart glasses, which retail between £247 and £379 and are produced in collaboration with Ray-Ban and Oakley, have achieved significant popularity, with seven million pairs sold last year. The market success has prompted other tech companies, including Apple, to reportedly develop their own camera-equipped wearable technology.