WA imposes nation's toughest ban on smart glasses in public schools
Education Minister Sabine Winton bans possession of smart glasses by anyone on WA school grounds from Term 4, citing covert recording risks.
What to know
- WA's ban is the nation's most comprehensive, covering not just students but staff, parents, carers and contractors, and applying to possession, not just use.
- The ban takes effect at the start of Term 4 and extends to off-site school activities such as sports events and excursions.
- Winton says no instances of smart glasses misuse have been recorded in WA schools; the ban is framed as preventive given falling device prices and accessibility.
- Other jurisdictions are moving unevenly: SA Greens want a broader ban, Victoria's school ban starts in January 2027, and Canberra is weighing a ban in Commonwealth workplaces.
“We know these devices are becoming increasingly popular with kids … this is a preventive action to make sure that school principals can get on with their important role in leading their schools, and making sure that teachers can teach.”
Sabine Winton, WA Education Minister · ABC Australia ↗ · Sep 21
Sabine Winton WA Education MinisterKyam Maher SA Deputy Premier and Attorney-General
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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WA ban outpaces patchwork of state responses elsewhere
South Australian Greens are pushing for a statewide ban covering schools, gyms and pools, prompting SA Deputy Premier Kyam Maher to seek legal advice and discuss national consistency with the federal attorney-general; Victoria's school ban on wearable devices does not start until January 2027, and the federal government is separately consulting on banning the devices from Commonwealth workplaces.
“Smart glasses may look cool but there's absolutely no place in our schools or classrooms for them…”
— Sabine Winton, WA Education Minister · source -
For me the issue with these are multiple: They're integrated with Meta or Google or Apple or whichever tech firm. They will be tracking, tracing, uploading shit all the time. As a person with zero relationship to these companies, who Ivey not agreed to provide any identity, image, likeness, data, or personal information to, they now have it…
2 more of the top 3 · 10 posts in this stretch
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The difference lies in phones having actual uses beyond being recording devices, and that if someone is holding their phone up at you it's kind of obvious they're recording you. Smart glasses don't have a use beyond recording others, and they sometimes have lights that identify if you're being recorded but those are both easily turned off or some…
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Those arms are thinner than anything on the market atm, especially the meta glasses which about 2x as thick and 2x as wide compared to these, so I think this argument is disingenuous. But again, this is 1 specific type of glasses that most people don't wear. tbh if that is all it means, that you can't wear that 1 type of glasses because they look…
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background
Ban details cover exemptions, offsite events and rationale — The rules extend to sports events and excursions where students represent their school; principals can grant exemptions for students with special needs or medical conditions, and Winton said no incidents of misuse had yet been recorded, framing the ban as preventive.
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WA education minister announces smart glasses ban
Sabine Winton announces students, staff, parents, carers and contractors will be banned from wearing or storing smart glasses on WA public school premises from Term 4, calling it the nation's "most comprehensive" ban.
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3 outlets WA introduces nation's 'most comprehensive ban' on smart glasses in schools - ABC News & Headlines
first by Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2d ago · also ABC Australia, The West Australian
2 more headlines
- Smart glasses to be banned from WA public schools ABC Australia · 2d ago
- ‘Dangerous’: Smart glasses banned from WA schools The West Australian · 2d ago
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first by Sydney Morning Herald, 2d ago
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What people are saying 7 voices from 1 site · best of 10 · verbatim
- Sep 22
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It does. Can’t control where we are born. Getting out of the country plenty can help
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I think this is relatively quick for legislation given Kmart only started selling theirs weeks ago, and the Meta glasses haven’t been around in Australia for very long.
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Great devices for AI to learn about our habits and weak points. Another machine learning tool.
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I would hate to know how many convicted paedophiles are all racing out to get these… It just made it easier for them. Just walk around anywhere public and literally record all our kids with the most ease ever. Awesome 😩
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That’s very fair. I don’t believe in banning things wholesale, but certain places need protecting. Do the same for public pools.
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They're getting closer to normal glasses (latest Xreal and RayNeo models), and definitely not for casual walkabout. But they'll be lumped in with the proposed ban.
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Are there any AR/XR glasses that would actually pass as normal glasses like the Smart glasses that are going around? I've only worn a couple of pairs and they're not something you would casually wear around going about your day.