Smart glasses can provide life changing accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision, but those benefits should never shield technology companies from legitimate scrutiny. Accessibility and privacy do not have to compete. As AI enabled wearables become more common, we need policies that accommodate disability-related needs, protect privacy and consent, establish reasonable boundaries, and hold companies accountable for how their technology is designed.

Smart glasses and AI-enabled wearables are entering schools faster than many policies can keep up. Cameras, microphones, AI, and cloud processing can now be hidden inside everyday eyewear and accessories, creating new questions around privacy, consent, accessibility, safety, and misuse. We created this free, adaptable draft policy to help schools establish clear, balanced expectations before an incident forces them to react.

Smart glasses present schools with a complicated challenge. The same camera-equipped eyewear that raises legitimate concerns about privacy, consent, recording, and academic integrity may also help a visually impaired student read a worksheet, identify an object, or understand their surroundings. As schools develop smart glasses policies, we need to distinguish between misuse and meaningful accessibility, because sometimes the risk is also the accommodation.

Smart glasses are no longer a $400 luxury. We bought a pair of M02 Smart AI Glasses for under $80 Canadian and were surprised by what they could do, especially the quality of the camera and video. As wearable cameras become cheaper, discreet recording becomes accessible to almost anyone. For parents and caregivers, the conversation now needs to move beyond Meta and toward privacy, consent, and what happens when the camera becomes almost invisible and financially accessible.

What happens when a camera no longer needs to be pulled from a student’s pocket because it’s already sitting on their face? Camera-equipped glasses that once cost hundreds of dollars are now appearing for under $100, making discreet recording technology increasingly accessible to youth. As students return to school this fall, we examine why wearable cameras raise important questions about privacy, consent, academic integrity, and school policy.

Smart glasses are no longer science fiction. They can record from eye level, livestream, and soon integrate AI into everyday interactions. For parents, the real question is not whether the technology is good or bad, but how it might be used or misused. Understanding privacy, consent, and opportunity helps families prepare youth to navigate this emerging wearable world wisely.