Mr Patsy McGlone (Mid Ulster): To ask the Minister of Education whether his Department plans to issue guidance to (i) schools; (ii) early years providers; and (iii) other settings attended by children, on the use of camera-enabled smart glasses and other discreet wearable recording devices on their premises.
Minister of Education: The Department’s recently published Guidance on the Use of Mobile Phones in Schools and EOTAS Centres in Northern Ireland is clear that schools and EOTAS centres should be mobile phone-free environments by default and that pupils should not have access to personal mobile phones or other similar internet-enabled devices during the school day.
Camera-enabled smart glasses and other discreet wearable recording devices fall within the category of “other similar devices” referenced in the guidance. Schools should therefore apply the same expectations and restrictions that apply to mobile phones, particularly in relation to safeguarding, privacy, the recording of pupils and staff, and minimising distraction from teaching and learning.
The Department does not currently plan to issue separate guidance specifically on camera-enabled smart glasses or other wearable recording devices. The existing guidance is intended to encompass emerging technologies of this nature and provides schools with the flexibility to determine the most appropriate operational arrangements for their particular circumstances.
In cases where a wearable device also serves an assistive or prescription function, schools may wish to engage with parents or carers to determine whether any smart or recording functions can be disabled or restricted while retaining the intended educational, accessibility or health-related benefits of the device.
The Department’s mobile phone guidance applies to grant-aided schools and EOTAS settings, which includes schools, early years providers any other educational settings within their remit attended by children. The Department will continue to keep emerging technologies under review and consider whether further guidance is required in the future.
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