Universities have started to ban students from wearing smartwatches

Smartwatches haven’t even picked up yet and universities are already trying to shut them down. Just a couple of months before the Apple Watch is set to launch, numerous colleges and universities have decided to ban all wrist-worn devices out of fear that students would be able to use them to cheat on exams. 

Apple’s smartwatch innovation has had an unexpected side-effect. BuzzFeed News has learned that universities have starting issuing blanket bans on all students wearing watches in exam halls – because invigilators can’t tell whether students actually have a mini-computer strapped to their wrist. With the popularity of smartwatches set to rocket when the Apple Watch is released in April, multiple universities having begun taking precautions to stop students cheating by using the devices during this summer’s exams. Such devices could allow students to look at notes or subtly receive messages during exams.