China Exam Authorities Crack Down: Smart Glasses Banned, Strict Checks Enforced

China’s 2026 National College Entrance Examination will take place from June 7 to

June 9. In recent days, education examination authorities in multiple provinces have

issued notices stating that students’ glasses, whether worn or carried, will be inspected

before they enter exam rooms. The topic of “strict checks on smart glasses during the

National College Entrance Examination” has also become a trending topic online.

According to the notices, on June 2 the Guangdong Provincial Education

Examinations Authority released a reminder for the 2026 general college entrance

examination, stating that during security screening, candidates must remove any

glasses they are wearing or carrying under video surveillance and place them on the

desk for special inspection by proctors. On June 1, the Shanghai Municipal Education

Examinations Authority also issued exam-day instructions through its official

account, requiring candidates wearing framed glasses to cooperate with proctors for

inspection before entering.

In addition, according to the video account “Xue Tang” under Strait Herald, a Fujian

Province training video conference on National College Entrance Examination

administration revealed that entry screening will be further tightened this year to

ensure cheating devices cannot be brought in, used, or used to transmit information

out. This year’s training specifically highlighted precautions against new types of

smart glasses, with exam staff instructed to pay close attention to the size and shape of

candidates’ eyewear.

In recent years, security measures for the National College Entrance Examination

have continued to intensify across China, with many test sites fully adopting a “smart

security gate plus manual screening” model. Hebei, Guizhou, and other regions have

also required candidates who usually wear smart glasses to prepare suitable ordinary

optical glasses in advance, as only standard optical glasses are allowed at test sites.