Covert recording on placement



Gendered online abuse and wearable surveillance in classroom environments

How to cite this learning scenario

Arantes, J. (2025). Covert recording during a placement. www.AI4education.org. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
abstract
Warning: This scenario mentions sexualised deepfake abuse and image-based harm. All scenarios on AIGE are fictitious. Abstract A female pre-service teacher (PST) on a secondary placement is recorded without consent by a peer wearing smart glasses while team teaching. A short, decontextualised clip is edited with captions that provide audio with what seems to be her voice, but it is not - and contains sexualised undertones of her in a classroom. They thought it was a joke, and posted it to LinkedIn. Recent peer-reviewed work with 1,037 Australian adults shows smart-glasses owners express lower privacy concern than non-owners, with owners reporting greater social acceptability of practices that others may perceive as invasive (Kaviani, Lyall, & Koppel, 2024), and a policy analysis warn that camera-equipped glasses create a surveillance surface in schools that existing device bans rarely anticipate (Arantes & Welsman, 2025). The risks are real for female PSTs on placement. Arguably, gendered abuse is a key vector: UNESCO’s 2023 global report documents how generative AI and platform dynamics intensify technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including reputational attacks on women in public-facing roles (UNESCO, 2023), with 58% of young women and girls globally having experienced online harassment on social media platforms. In Australia, national evidence shows technology-facilitated sexual harassment is now embedded in workplaces, with one in seven adults admitting to engaging in workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment (WTFSH) behaviours (ANROWS, 2024). Perpetrators were found to often minimise the severity of WTFSH, believing victim-survivors would be “okay with it” (52%), flattered (45%) or find it humorous (42%). The eSafety Commissioner’s Safety by Design guidance for technology-facilitated gender-based violence calls on platforms and institutions to anticipate misuse and reduce abuse at the system level (eSafety Commissioner, 2024). Given that professional networking is integral to early-career educators, platform governance also matters: LinkedIn has been the subject of regulatory scrutiny and policy changes in 2024 to reduce discriminatory ad-targeting risks in the EU (Foo Yun Chee, 2024), while eSafety provides a platform-specific safety guide for LinkedIn to support Australian users (eSafety Commissioner, 2025a). This case examines role clarity, reporting pathways, psychosocial hazards, and cross-institution governance between universities and placement schools.

“I handled the class just fine. What broke me was watching their captions turn my work and my professional character into something I am not - it was not a joke.”

Gendered online abuse and wearable surveillance in classroom environments

Week three of a six-week metropolitan placement. The PST is team teaching a Year 10 English lesson, observed by her mentor, with a peer present. Their eyewear looks like designer sunglasses. No one mentions recording. During a discussion on persuasive language, a student challenges her reading of an editorial. The PST acknowledges the alternate view, models respectful disagreement, and moves on. The mentor later commends her calm redirect. Two days later, a classmate messages her a link. The video shows the interaction from eye level with crisp audio, but it has been edited with sexualised captions and suggestive emojis layered over the footage. Strategic zooms linger on her body rather than her teaching, accompanied by innuendo in the on-screen text. The framing and stability suggest a head-mounted camera, turning a moment of professional practice into sexualised content designed to undermine her credibility. It was her peer that was team teaching with her - they thought it was funny. The PST searches for context and finds peer-reviewed Australian research: owners of smart glasses report lower privacy concern than non-owners and rate questionable uses as more socially acceptable, based on a national survey of 1,037 adults (Kaviani et al., 2024). She then reads policy commentary warning that wearable cameras extend surveillance into classrooms and that current school bans focus on phones, not glasses (Arantes & Welsman, 2025). An RMIT expert brief underscores rising reports of women filmed in public without consent using smart glasses (RMIT University, 2025). The mentor checks the school’s device policy. It covers phones and tablets, but not glasses specifically - but the privacy policy is clear. Workplace safety policy is clear. Multiple policies have been breached. The peer, who thought it was funny, claimed that they 'just didn't think.' Together they compile evidence without resharing: URL, handle, upload time, hashtags, any edits, and a brief description of the context. The principal contacts the university placement office. Counselling is offered, and communications support is lined up in case media attention escalates. The PST’s fear centers on professional reputation. UNESCO’s global analysis shows women in public-facing work are disproportionally targeted with harassment, synthetic media, and narrative manipulation that chills speech and harms careers (UNESCO, 2023). Australian workplace data confirms the broader pattern: one in seven adults admit to having engaged in technology-facilitated sexual harassment, signalling that digitally mediated misconduct is no longer rare (ANROWS, 2024). When the university reviews its proceedures as a result, the placement debrief uses the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping to map primary appraisal (reputational threat, gendered hostility) and secondary appraisal (gaps in device policy, ambiguity about who reports to the platform, lack of signage or visitor declarations). The university explores the eSafety’s Safety by Design approach: reduce single-point burden on the victim, standardise evidence capture, and close policy loopholes (eSafety Commissioner, 2024). A short addendum to the university policy defines “wearable recording devices,” explicitly mandates smart glasses recording disclosure and consent, and provides a script staff can use to request removal of recording devices. Because early-career educators benefit from networking online, the PST also reviews platform safety settings and reporting channels on LinkedIn using eSafety’s LinkedIn guide (eSafety Commissioner, 2025a). She notes separate global developments: after civil-society complaints, LinkedIn restricted certain EU ad-targeting practices linked to sensitive data categories to comply with the DSA (Foo Yun Chee, 2024). While not an eSafety enforcement, it illustrates how platform rules can shift under regulatory pressure to reduce discrimination risks in professional spaces. By the end of placement, the clip has been removed from the original account, though they recognised that mirrors may remain. The university updates its professional experience handbook with a wearable-tech appendix, adds pre-placement briefing slides on consent and the language of 'jokes', and aligns escalation steps between the school and university.

Research Topics

Research Questions

How can universities and placement schools co-design practical, rights-respecting protocols for wearable recording in classrooms What preparedness and confidence do PSTs report after brief scenario-based training on covert recording and online abuse, consider this through an intersectional lens.How do seemingly humorous remarks or “jokes” function as vehicles for misogyny, reinforcing gender stereotypes and power imbalances while being framed as harmless banter?
Smart Glasses, consent, and classroom governance for university placements gendered online abuse against early-career educators and reputational harm effectiveness of visitor signage and disclosure mechanisms for covert-recording deterrence

Data Collection

Students collect publicly available school and university device/privacy policies, code for explicit mention of “wearable recording devices,” visitor disclosure, consent, takedown steps, and incident documentation. Tally coverage to identify quick wins for prevention messaging. signage and declaration usability Groups time how long it takes to locate and navigate three public reporting routes relevant to PSTs: the university page, the school page, and eSafety’s LinkedIn safety guide. Record steps, dead ends, and required evidence to produce a simple “friction index” for process improvement. Resources ANROWS. (2024, April 30). One in seven Australian adults report engaging in workplace technology-facilitated sexual harassment [Media release]. https://www.anrows.org.au/media-releases/one-in-seven-australian-adults-report-engaging-in-workplace-technology-facilitated-sexual-harassment-new-study-finds/anrows.org.au Arantes, J., & Welsman, A. (2025, April 3). Why we should worry about smart glasses in schools. EduResearch Matters (AARE). https://blog.aare.edu.au/why-we-should-worry-about-smart-glasses-in-schools/ blog.aare.edu.au eSafety Commissioner. (2024, September). Technology, gendered violence and Safety by Design: An industry guide [PDF]. https://www.esafety.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-09/SafetyByDesign-technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-industry-guide.pdf eSafety Commissioner eSafety Commissioner. (2025a, May 1). LinkedIn (eSafety Guide entry). https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-topics/esafety-guide/linkedin eSafety Commissioner Foo Yun Chee. (2024, June 7). LinkedIn disables tool for targeted ads to comply with EU tech rules. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/technology/linkedin-disables-tool-targeted-ads-comply-with-eu-tech-rules-2024-06-07/ Reuters Kaviani, F., Lyall, B., & Koppel, S. (2024). Exploring social perceptions of everyday smartglass use in Australia. PLOS ONE, 19(11), e0313001. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0313001 PLOS RMIT University. (2025, February). The dark side of smartglasses and public surveillance [Expert comment]. https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/media-releases-and-expert-comments/2025/feb/smart-glasses-privacy RMIT University UNESCO. (2023). “Your opinion doesn’t matter, anyway”: Exposing technology-facilitated gender-based violence in an era of generative AI [Report]. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark%3A/48223/pf0000387483 UNESCO Digital Library UNESCO eSafety Commissioner. (2023, December 13). Women in the Spotlight (Program page, with research summary). https://www.esafety.gov.au/women/women-in-the-spotlight eSafety Commissioner in-text citations used The scenario and abstract reference the above sources inline where claims appear: (Kaviani et al., 2024; Arantes & Welsman, 2025; UNESCO, 2023; ANROWS, 2024; eSafety Commissioner, 2024; eSafety Commissioner, 2025a; Foo Yun Chee, 2024).
August 2025

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