Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the safeguarding risks arising from the use of AI-enabled and camera-equipped smart glasses in education, youth and care settings.

The department recognises that emerging technologies, including AI-enabled and camera-equipped smart glasses, may raise issues relating to transparency, privacy and the processing of personal data. They also present safeguarding risks if used to record, share or manipulate images, audio, or video involving children.

Schools and colleges must consider their obligations under data protection law when using camera-enabled smart glasses or other wearable recording devices. Schools and colleges should also assess the risks presented by emerging technologies and ensure these are appropriately reflected in their safeguarding, data protection and visitor policies.

Our statutory guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ sets out a whole-school approach to safeguarding and requires schools and colleges to consider online safety and risks arising from technology, including how it may facilitate abuse, exploitation, harassment or other harms.