Discussion board: Future-proof college system guidelines by focusing on recording capabilities, fairly than devices

The article “Police investigating video of man allegedly trailing female students while wearing smart glasses” (Sept 23) exposes a wider concern greater than this one incident.

Cameras and AI are shifting into ordinary-looking wearables, however college system guidelines are nonetheless largely written round telephones and good watches.

From 2026, tightened tips on display screen use imply secondary college college students should put smartphones and good watches away throughout college hours. The subsequent step must be to make the rule capability-based, fairly than gadget-based.

The Ministry of Education may outline a class of non-public units able to discreet picture, audio or video seize, or real-time AI processing. During college hours, such units may very well be switched off and saved away except their use is authorised for studying, medical or accessibility causes.

Schools may additionally specify no-recording areas similar to altering areas, sick bays and counselling rooms, and set clear consent expectations for varsity occasions and co-curricular actions.

This would keep away from two extremes. One is to attend till every new gadget creates an issue after which add it to a rising record. The different is to ban all good eyewear, even the place a tool has a respectable accessibility use or no recording perform in any respect.

The precept ought to survive modifications in expertise. If a private system can seize or course of different individuals in methods they could not readily discover, its use deserves an specific privateness rule.

Tang Min Hui