Recent media reports highlight a new, high-tech twist on the old problem of workplace harassment. As smart glasses continue to fly off the shelves, workers report being harassed on the job via the AI-assisted wearable recording technology. Even more troubling, the secretly recorded videos can easily be streamed or posted online, where comments sections may themselves include harassing remarks, potentially further harming the affected employee.
An article last month in the online technology news outlet The Verge recounted several experiences and concerns of U.S. workers arising from the use of smart glasses. In one incident, a Target employee was filmed by two pranksters who allegedly intentionally misgendered the employee and then uploaded their recording of the interaction to social media, where the videos were viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Reportedly, the same social media account features numerous similar videos harassing workers. Another worker interviewed for the piece, a cashier, reported that she routinely deals with customers wearing smart glasses, and often feels “deeply uncomfortable” with these interactions, worrying that a taller man may be filming down her shirt. She noted that smart glasses make that much easier to do than a smart phone, which would have to be held at an angle that might make the recording more obvious. As a young woman constantly dealing with the public at work, she said that at times she sees as many as 10 customers an hour using smart glasses, and that smart glasses “add to the baseline discomfort she feels.”
While these are just two examples, it is not hard to imagine countless other situations in which a co-worker or customer might use smart glasses technology to harass someone on the job. Meanwhile, the use of this wearable technology is widespread; Security.org reports that 5% of the U.S. population already owns a pair, and predicts significant growth over the next year. Meta sold more than 7 million pairs of its smart glasses in 2025 alone. These numbers underscore that employers will not be able to ignore the workplace implications of smart glasses. Wise employers are proactively reviewing and updating their policies to address smart glasses.
In addition to harassment-related concerns, employers should consider how smart glasses might endanger confidential information, trade secrets, private customer information and sensitive information of employees (such as private health information). State laws regarding consent for recording should also be weighed as employers craft their approach to smart glasses, and any policy must be drafted in a way that does not infringe on worker rights under the National Labor Relations Act. Finally, employers should remember that in some limited situations, allowing certain assistive technology in smart glasses may be a reasonable accommodation of disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Don’t be tempted to skip the interactive process when an employee claims that smart glasses are necessary for a medical reason.
Smart glasses present unique and varied challenges for employers. Experienced employment counsel can help work through these issues.
