Victoria smart glasses ban schools: Rules for 2027

Victoria's smart glasses ban schools policy will take effect across all Victorian schools from the 2027 school year. Students must switch off and store smart glasses during school hours, while teachers, parents and volunteers at government schools will not be allowed to wear them on school grounds or at related activities.

What the ban covers

• Students: at government, Catholic and independent schools, smart glasses and other wearables must be switched off and stored during school hours. This extends Victoria's existing phone rules.
• Adults at government schools: teachers, parents and volunteers may not wear smart glasses or other covert filming devices on school grounds or at off-site activities such as camps and excursions, at any time.
• Exemptions: people with disability may receive a reasonable adjustment where no other option is suitable.
• Penalties: none have been set out, according to MIXED.

"Smart glasses have no place in our classrooms or on school grounds," said Deputy Premier and Education Minister Gabrielle Williams.

Update (2026-11-01): VR.org News reports that Ministerial Order No. 1515 starts the student storage requirement on January 28, 2027, while Victoria's government-school policy takes effect on January 27, 2027. The order defines smart glasses by their digital-information capabilities and does not require a camera, microphone or AI assistant. It also does not expressly exclude assistive hearing devices. The government-school policy allows principals to require non-students who refuse compliance to leave school premises or school-organized events.

Why Victoria is doing it

The government ties the move to its 2020 phone ban in government schools. It says an independent evaluation linked that ban to better focus in class, more social breaks and fewer phone-related incidents.

The adult rule does not yet apply to Catholic and independent schools. The government says a re-elected Carroll Labor government would extend it to those schools through legislation, so that part depends on the next state election.

The announcement names no company or product. It applies to any glasses that can film, including the category that Meta, Snap and others are bringing into everyday frames. MIXED notes that Western Australia moved first with a public-school ban that also covers parents, while Victoria's student rule reaches private schools from day one.

What it means for smart-glasses users

Camera glasses are now selling in meaningful numbers, and regulators are beginning to respond. Victoria's ban follows a privacy lawsuit against Meta's camera glasses filed in the Netherlands this month. The policy targets the same concern: recording people who have not agreed to it.

For families in Victoria, the practical effect from 2027 is clear. Students can bring smart glasses but must keep them switched off and stored. Adults visiting a government school should leave them at home, because the restriction applies on school grounds and during off-site activities such as camps and excursions.

The student requirement covers government, Catholic and independent schools. The broader adult restriction currently covers government schools, including school grounds and school-organized activities. The only stated exemption is a reasonable adjustment for disability, and it applies only where no other option is suitable.