Smart Glasses: Privacy, Consent, Boundaries, Opportunities, and Digital Responsibility
- The White Hatter
- 2 minutes ago
- 7 min read
When a new technology hits the market, the conversation usually swings to two extremes. One side says it is revolutionary and harmless. The other says it is dangerous and should be banned. As parents and caregivers, neither extreme helps us very much.
Smart glasses are no longer a futuristic concept and something that you would only see in the movie series Mission Impossible. They are already on the market, allowing users to record photos and video from their own perspective, livestream in real time, and activate AI features through simple voice commands. It is that combination of discreet recording and built-in artificial intelligence that makes this technology significant.
The question is not, “Are these glasses evil?” The better question is, “How could this technology be misused, and how could it also be used well, and how do we prepare our kids to navigate both?” Here are some of our thoughts.
For years, capturing a recording meant taking out and point a phone, and that obvious movement signalled to others what was happening. People could see it and react. Smart glasses shift that dynamic entirely, because recordings can happen hands free. The device looks like regular eyewear. Although there may be a recording light, which can be disabled or obscured, socially the interaction feels different, and the ambiguity increases.
For all of us, this means one simple truth, not every camera is obvious anymore. At the same time, not every wearable device is being used irresponsibly, both realities can exist together.
Canadian Law When It Comes To Recording Others Without Their Consent
In Canada, “one-party consent” applies to all types of recordings. Under the Criminal Code, if you are part of a private conversation, you can legally record the conversation without telling the other person. However, that does not give someone blanket permission to secretly film others. Video recording can raise different legal issues, especially in places where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as bathrooms, locker rooms, or private homes. In those settings, recording can cross into criminal voyeurism. Even in public spaces where filming is generally legal, posting or misusing the footage can create civil or school consequences (1). The key message for parents and caregivers to share with youth is this, legality does not equal appropriateness. Consent, context, and respect still matter.
This is not about teaching youth, teens, or adults how to misuse technology, it’s about understanding predictable human behaviour when new tools appear. Some concerns that we have with smart glasses include:
Covert or Socially Problematic Recording
Gyms, schools, locker rooms, private events, classrooms (2). These are environments where expectations of privacy vary. Even with a visible indicator light, glasses can create confusion. Was it recording? Was it not? That uncertainty can lead to conflict, embarrassment, or exploitation.
One woman in New York shared an incident in which she realized her aesthetician was wearing Meta Ray-Bans while she was having a Brazilian wax (3). In another incident, a person has been convicted in the UK after he recorded sex with a woman without her explicit and informed consent using a pair of smart glasses (4)(5).
If you suspect the person you are interacting with is wearing smart glasses ask,“Are those recording?” That question shifts power back into the conversation.
Harassment and Voyeurism
Unfortunately, some people use cameras to target others, and that is not new. What is new is the ease and subtlety given smart glasses. A device that captures from eye level without being raised in someone’s face lowers the social barrier. That increases the risk of non-consensual recording, especially targeting girls and young women (6)(7). The issue is not the glasses, it’s the intent of the wearer. Our role as parents and caregivers is to teach consent culture, not just device rules.
Social Engineering and Scams
Hands-free devices allow someone to appear fully present while quietly accessing prompts, information, or soon to be facial recognition (8). Someone could misuse tech wearables by socially engineering a conversation with a target and pretending to already know them. As AI becomes more integrated into wearables, scammers may use these tools to become more polished and persuasive (9)(10).
The lesson for all of us is not to fear the technology, it’s to evaluate behaviour. Does the person respect boundaries? Are they transparent? Do their actions match their words? As we like to say, “trust behaviour, not presentation.”
Stalking and Pattern Tracking
Phones already allow location tracking and recording, and smart glasses reduce friction. Result, more everyday interactions can be quietly documented. That can feed into harassment or unwanted attention. Remember, if someone repeatedly appears in your physical or digital space without explanation, document it and tell a trusted adult early or even think about notifying the police.
AI Enhanced Exploitation
The risk is not only in recording, it’s what happens after. Captured content can be edited, manipulated, recontextualized, or used for humiliation or blackmail. We are already seeing AI used to alter images and create synthetic content. Wearables simply increase the supply of raw material. This is why digital reputation education matters more than ever.
However, we also believe there are some positive applications for smart glasses. If we just stop the conversation at risk, we miss the opportunity to prepare our youth and teens for the world they are actually entering. So what could the benefits of smart glasses be that shouldn’t be ignored.
Accessibility and Inclusion
For youth with learning differences, ADHD, anxiety, or language barriers, discreet prompts and voice based assistance can support executive functioning and reduce stress. Step-by-step reminders, translation features, or contextual explanations can help level the playing field. Used intentionally, this becomes assistive technology both inside and outside the home (11)(12).
Real-Time Learning
Imagine being on a vacation where you can ask questions about what you are seeing in real time or how to get to a tourist spot. Today, smart glasses can show messages, maps, live translation and captions in front of your eyes while you keep looking at the real world around you. Learning becomes experiential instead of passive (13).
Creative Expression
First-person storytelling opens new creative possibilities. Those of us interested in media, journalism, athletics, or digital storytelling can document experiences in immersive ways which can be used for:
Documentary projects
Sports performance review
Artistic exploration
Journalism and advocacy
The device becomes a creative tool rather than a social prop.
Personal Safety and Accountability
In some cases, the ability to document interactions can deter aggression or provide evidence in cases of bullying, discrimination, or other criminal behaviour.
Intent matters, and the goal here is not surveillance, but accountability.
Looking forward three to five years, we can reasonably predict that smart glasses and other wearable will:
Be smaller and lighter devices
Have longer battery life
Have greater seamless AI integration
Create greater normalization of wearable recording
Have more real-time assistance features
There is also an interesting possibility here, if certain tasks shift from scrolling on a phone to quick voice based interactions, this could reduce endless feed engagement. Instead of unlocking a phone and getting pulled into social media, we might ask a question and move on. We have said this in the past, we predict that with the ongoing development of wearable, like smart glasses, smartphones will slowly start to phase out. This is not guaranteed, but it is worth considering (14).
What we’re really noticing is a cultural change. We are entering a space where people are more likely to wonder, “Am I being recorded?” at the same time that AI support is becoming less noticeable and more seamlessly built into everyday life.
So given that smart glasses, and other wearables are becoming more mainstream, what can we as parents and caregivers do? We have always preached, avoid fear based reactions and build skill-based resilience. Here are some of our thoughts:
Update the Conversation
Ask your child:
“How would you feel if someone recorded you without you knowing?”
“How would you use smart glasses responsibly?”
“Where do you think they should not be used?”
Normalize these discussions before something happens.
Teach Assertive Communication
Empower youth with simple scripts when confronted with someone they believe are wearing smart glasses:
“Are those recording?”
“I’m not comfortable being filmed.”
“Please delete that.”
Confidence reduces vulnerability.
Advocate for Clear School Policies
Schools need to update “no recording” policies to explicitly include wearable devices. Ambiguity benefits the wrong people, while clarity protects everyone. The challenge becomes even more complicated when you consider that many of these models can be fitted with prescription lenses. If an eye doctor prescribes them as a medical necessity, could it could be challenging for a teacher to reasonably ask a student to take them off (15)?
Model Balanced Skepticism
Do not assume everyone wearing smart glasses has bad intentions. However, do not assume nobody does. Teach your child to evaluate behaviour. Is the person respectful? Do they respond appropriately when questioned? Do they dismiss concerns? Behavior tells the story.
Reinforce Digital Reporting
If a youth believes they were recorded without consent:
Document what happened.
Report early.
Avoid retaliatory posting.
Escalation rarely solves humiliation. Structured reporting does.
Every generation faces new tools. The danger is not in the device alone, it’s in the combination of:
Intent
Opportunity
Lack of boundaries
Lack of education
The opportunity with wearables, such as smart glasses, lies in how this technology can expand accessibility for youth who need extra support, unlock new forms of creative expression, and strengthen accountability in moments where documentation matters. It can encourage skill development by helping young people learn how to use emerging tools responsibly rather than fear them, and it can deepen digital literacy by prompting thoughtful conversations about consent, privacy, ethics, and boundaries.
When guided well, smart glasses are not just devices, they can become teaching tools that help prepare our kids for a world where technology is woven into everyday life. However, when smart glasses are used unethically they can be weaponized.
Banning every new device is not realistic, however, ignoring risk is not responsible. The middle ground is informed parenting rooted in conversation, consent, and competence.
Smart glasses are not the last wearable our kids will encounter. They are simply the next step in an increasingly integrated onlife world. Our job as parents and caregivers is not to panic when it comes to technology, it’s to prepare both and teen to use powerful tools wisely.
Knowledge, and the understanding and application of that knowledge, is power!
Related articles:
Digital Food For Thought
The White Hatter
Facts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech
References:
6/ https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/filmed-covertly-posted-publicly-pickup-trend-grows-in-bc/
