AI Companion Safety: What Schools and Parents Need to Know
The latest technology schools and parents need to be watching isn't necessarily another phone or another pair of smart glasses.
It could be something much smaller.
Meta has announced Muse Charm, a pocket-sized device designed to let people talk and interact with their personal AI agent, Muse. Meta describes it as bringing Muse's capabilities and real-time voice model into a device that fits in your pocket. More details about the device are expected later this year.
And this is where I think schools and parents need to start paying attention.
We have just taken a significant step in Western Australia with the Department of Education introducing a ban on smart glasses in government schools from 12 October 2026. The policy recognises that wearable devices can include AI functionality, recording, photography, live streaming, facial recognition, connectivity and other capabilities that create privacy, safety and security concerns.
But wearable technology isn't stopping with glasses.
What is Muse Charm?
Meta describes Muse Charm as a small device designed for talking to and interacting with Muse.
That matters because Muse itself is being developed as a personal AI agent rather than simply a chatbot that answers questions.
Meta says Muse can perform tasks on a user's behalf across the apps they use, including booking appointments, filling out forms and handling customer service. The company has also announced integrations that allow Muse to help with shopping, travel and other tasks.
Muse Charm puts that kind of AI interaction into a small, portable device.
You don't necessarily need to pull out your phone.
You don't necessarily need to sit at a computer.
The AI can become something you carry with you.
That is a significant shift in how we interact with technology.
AI companions are becoming more personal
The bigger issue for me isn't simply that another AI device exists.
It is the direction this technology is heading.
AI is increasingly being designed to feel personal, conversational and always available.
Meta describes Muse as a personal AI agent that can learn from conversations, understand what matters to the user and help carry out tasks.
That changes the conversation around AI companion safety.
When AI becomes something you can talk to throughout the day, carry around with you and rely on to perform tasks, we need to think carefully about the relationship people develop with it.
For young people, that deserves particular attention.
A device doesn't have to be marketed specifically to children for children to become interested in it.
A small, character-like device that talks back and feels like a personal companion is very different from a traditional piece of technology.
Schools and parents need to think about what happens when technology starts moving from something we use occasionally to something that is designed to stay with us.
Wearable AI creates a new privacy conversation
The smart-glasses debate has already shown us why wearable technology needs careful consideration in schools.
The WA Department of Education's current instruction identifies risks including student and staff privacy, unauthorised recording or photography, child safety and wellbeing, cybersecurity and information security.
A wearable AI device raises some related questions.
What can the device hear?
What information is being collected?
Where does that information go?
What happens to conversations?
Who has access to the data?
Can the device interact with other systems or services?
These aren't questions that should only be asked after a product becomes popular.
They should be part of the conversation before schools start seeing these devices arrive on campus.
Schools need to think beyond smart glasses
The WA smart-glasses ban is an important example of schools responding to emerging technology.
But schools should also think about how their existing policies define wearable technology.
If a policy specifically refers only to smart glasses, what happens when the next device arrives?
The technology may look completely different while creating some of the same concerns.
This is why I would encourage schools to think about wearable AI devices more broadly when reviewing their technology policies.
That doesn't necessarily mean banning every new device.
It means having a clear process for assessing new technology based on what it can do, rather than what it looks like.
A small device on a keychain can still have significant capabilities.
Parents also need to slow down before buying the next "must-have" device
For parents, this is where I think a pause is useful.
New technology is often presented as exciting, convenient and fun.
But being new doesn't automatically make something appropriate for children.
Before buying a wearable AI device, parents can ask:
What does this device actually do?
Look beyond the cute design.
What can it hear, see, record, access or do on your child's behalf?
What information does it collect?
Read the privacy information and understand what data is involved.
Is it designed for children?
Consider the intended age range and whether the product has been designed with children's needs and safety in mind.
Does my child actually need it?
This is a simple question, but an important one.
Just because a technology can be useful doesn't mean every child needs access to it.
We need to get ahead of wearable AI
One of the problems with emerging technology is that schools often end up responding after students already have access to it.
By then, the conversations are much harder.
That is why schools should be thinking now about how they will respond to wearable AI.
Meta's own announcement makes it clear that the company is building a broader family of devices designed to make personal AI accessible in different ways. At Connect 2026, Meta described Muse Charm as one of those devices and said it would provide more information later this year.
This isn't just about one device.
It's about a broader shift towards AI that is more portable, personal and embedded into everyday life.
That is exactly why AI literacy and online safety education need to keep evolving.
The question isn't just whether students can use the technology
Schools have spent a lot of time thinking about phones, social media and now generative AI.
The next challenge is going to be technology that doesn't necessarily look like a traditional digital device.
AI can be built into glasses.
It can be built into a small wearable.
It can be integrated into things students carry around every day.
The form will keep changing.
The need for students to understand technology, question it and make informed decisions won't.
For schools, that means looking beyond individual products and making sure technology policies can respond to new forms of wearable AI.
For parents, it means taking a little more time before buying the next "must-have" piece of technology.
And for young people, it means understanding that something being cute, convenient or clever doesn't automatically make it safe or appropriate.
That is a critical part of AI online safety.
Paris works with schools across Western Australia to help students, staff and parents understand emerging technology, AI risks, online safety and digital wellbeing through practical workshops and presentations.
