The list of places you’re allowed to use smart glasses continues to narrow, and schools appear to be the next big no-fly zone.
This week, the Victorian government in Australia imposed a statewide ban on smart glasses in schools and camps that would go into effect starting in 2027. Specifically, the ban applies to all public, independent, and Catholic schools in the state of Victoria, which, for context, is not a small place. As of March 2026, Victoria’s population was estimated to be upwards of 7.1 million people.
The sentiments behind the ban are pretty clear. In a statement following the announcement, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Gabrielle Williams said:
“We’re setting clear rules across every Victorian school—making sure students can focus on learning, and families can feel confident their children are in a respectful and safe school environment… Smart glasses have no place in our classrooms or on school grounds.”
Based on what we’ve seen from smart glasses in an educational setting so far, I’d have to agree with that assessment. Already, smart glasses have been quickly adopted as a tool for cheating on exams, which makes sense given the fact that they can discreetly pull up information without taking out your phone. In China, some students have even taken to renting smart glasses to help them cheat if they can’t afford to buy a pair of their own.
Similarly, the College Board in the U.S. also banned smart glasses for anyone taking the SATs given their unique ability to help people cheat.
In the U.S., bans have also been picking up speed, though few have been quite as sweeping as the statewide ban in Victoria. Instead, smart glasses have been banned more on a district basis, including in school districts across Florida and Massachusetts, though a statewide law in Utah that prohibits phones in school does also encompass smart glasses.
U.S. smart glasses bans have been more piecemeal than in other countries, but the result could eventually be the same. As scrutiny around smart glasses grows, the list of accepting environments for them becomes smaller, and schools (just like courts in states like New York) seem like an obvious starting point for restrictions. Besides, with the onset of AI, aren’t there already enough options for academic cheating?
