School principals have revealed the rollout of confidential electronic school safety forms that allow students to report "group bullying" and related behaviour, including ridicule, exclusion and other inappropriate conduct. The initiative is part of preventive measures aimed at protecting students during the 2026-2027 academic year.They said that the forms move incidents occurring within closed groups into an official school reporting system. The system documents incidents, assesses their severity and determines the need for urgent intervention. They said this helps speed up the review and response process, encourages affected students to come forward and limits abusive behaviour within the school environment.New digital channels Emarat Al Youm reviewed digital channels developed by school administrations to address inappropriate behaviour within student groups created for educational purposes. These include ridicule, exclusion, threats and blackmail. The aim is to encourage students to report bullying by turning screenshots into documented reports that can trigger prompt school intervention.The forms classify reports into six categories: bullying, threats or blackmail, assault or abuse, harassment or inappropriate behaviour, feeling unsafe, and any other incident requiring intervention. The system provides a confidential channel through which affected students can seek protection without confronting the bully or disclosing details to classmates.'Group bullying'Dr Mohammed Nazif, director of Diwan Schools Group, said group bullying may begin with a mocking nickname or an image shared without permission. It can then escalate through comments, posts and repeated circulation into systematic psychological harm that subjects a student to repeated abuse in front of peers.He warned against dismissing such behaviour as harmless jokes. Interaction, reposting or remaining silent can reinforce the bully's sense of support, widen the circle of abuse and increase the psychological harm suffered by the target.He said the effectiveness of the new electronic forms should not be measured by the number of reports received. Instead, it should be judged by a school's ability to break the silence surrounding bullying and turn digital evidence into a swift and confidential response that stops abuse, protects victims, addresses the bully's behaviour and prevents retaliation or repeated targeting.Approved proceduresKhalid Abdul Hamid, principal of Dubai Modern Education Ministerial Section, said schools can no longer separate behaviour inside school buildings from what occurs digitally among students when the effects extend into the educational environment or affect students' wellbeing, relationships and academic performance.He said abuse that takes place after school hours or within private groups can still have consequences within the school environment. He stressed that intervention does not mean monitoring students' accounts or violating their privacy. Rather, it involves receiving reports related to student safety, verifying them and addressing their impact in line with approved procedures.Fast-track responseSara Tarek, principal of a school, said the form shortens the path between students and those responsible for protecting them. It also prevents reports from becoming lost between teachers, administrators and social workers.She said cases involving extortion or inappropriate behaviour are moved directly to an urgent response track that takes into account the level of risk involved.She added that schools first focus on protecting the student and stopping the source of harm. This is followed by reviewing evidence, hearing from all parties and communicating with families before deciding on educational, psychological or behavioural interventions, or referring cases to the relevant authorities when necessary.Explaining the reporting processKholoud Fahmy, principal of a school, said the success of the confidential channel depends on students understanding what happens after a report is submitted, who can access it and how their identity will be protected.She stressed the importance of explaining these procedures to students from the start of the academic year, rather than simply sending the reporting link to families.She said reports are confidential but not anonymous. Students must provide their name, class and section so the school can contact them, provide protection and verify the incident. She added that access to this information is limited to relevant personnel and that schools are committed to preventing the sharing of names or report details beyond professional necessity.Student trainingTeacher Adel Mahmoud said addressing group bullying begins with teaching students how to recognise digital behaviour. This includes distinguishing between mutual jokes and deliberate insults, and between temporary disagreements and repeated targeting.He said students should also be guided through real-life scenarios that clarify the limits of commenting, sharing and reposting content.He added that digital awareness should become a daily classroom practice based on the principle: "Do not reply, do not repost, trust, block and report." This approach helps prevent the escalation of abuse, preserve evidence and reinforce each student's responsibility to stop bullying rather than encourage it.Unified school channelParents Ihab Ziadeh, Mohamed Taha, Mayada Hassan, Walaa Al-Issawi and Wadha Hamdan said a unified and confidential school reporting channel prevents families from having to navigate between teachers, counsellors and administrators.They said it provides a clear process for following up on cases while confirming receipt of reports and beginning action without compromising student privacy.They stressed that parents should respond by listening, reassuring children and preserving evidence, rather than blaming them, confiscating phones or threatening restrictions. Fear of such reactions, they said, may cause students to stay silent and hide what they are experiencing.They also warned against confronting the other student or the student's family directly, or sharing offensive content in parent groups, saying this can expose the victim, increase the harm and complicate the verification process.Protecting affected studentsAlaa Ismail Al-Zaro, a social worker and academic counsellor at Emirates National School, said handling a complaint begins with reassuring the student and preventing escalation. This is followed by preserving evidence, identifying those involved and assessing the extent of the harm and the risk of continued abuse.Alaa Al-Zaro: The form is an early warning tool that obliges the school to follow up on reports and respond immediately to urgent cases.He said identifying an ongoing threat makes the electronic form an early warning tool and requires schools to monitor reports and respond immediately to urgent cases.He stressed that intervention does not end with deleting a message or closing a group. It must also include preventing retaliation and monitoring whether the abuse spreads to other accounts or groups.He added that fear of being identified or losing friends often keeps bullying victims silent. He called for promoting a culture of the "positive witness", where students document abuse, support victims and report incidents. He also stressed the importance of protecting good-faith reports and investigating them fairly to distinguish between genuine complaints and false accusations.Abuse can have lasting effectsPsychological counsellor Dr Ahmed Eid warned against viewing group bullying as merely a message or image that can be deleted. He said abuse carried out in front of an audience and repeatedly shared can prolong its psychological impact and leave students feeling trapped by humiliation and fear even after the incident ends.Dr Ahmed Eid: Abuse in front of an audience and its recirculation extend its psychological impact and keep students prisoners of fearHe said fear of having a phone confiscated, being labelled weak or being blamed for the abuse can discourage some students from reporting incidents. This may allow the abuse to continue and lead to isolation, reluctance to attend school, declining academic performance, sleep disturbances and fear of certain classmates or digital devices.He stressed that the appropriate response begins with support, belief and reassurance rather than interrogation or blame. He added that teachers serve as the first line of observation by identifying behavioural changes and confidentially referring students to specialists, rather than conducting investigations themselves or confronting those involved.Key safeguardsEducational expert Dr Noura Al Muhairi said safety forms are an important preventive measure at the start of the school year. However, they cannot become an effective protection system without five key safeguards: easy access, continuous follow-up of reports, immediate responses to urgent cases, protection of reporters and witnesses, and monitoring after intervention.Dr Noura Almheiri: The success of schools in addressing group bullying is measured by turning the report into a measure that protects the victim.She said success in addressing group bullying should not be measured by the number of awareness campaigns or lectures. Rather, it depends on how quickly a report is turned into action that protects the victim, stops the abuse, addresses the bully's behaviour and prevents the targeting from moving to another group.She added that while the form helps break the silence, real protection begins after the report is submitted. At that point, the screenshot becomes a documented report and then a swift, confidential intervention aimed at restoring the student's sense of safety and ending continued harassment beyond school grounds.Seven lines of defenceThe new confidential forms support seven lines of defence against group bullying: not engaging with the bully, documenting evidence, reporting incidents early, blocking and reporting abusive accounts, protecting privacy, boosting victims' self-confidence and surrounding them with a positive circle of friends.The effectiveness of these measures also depends on having a confidential and easily accessible reporting channel, qualified specialists to review reports, rapid response procedures, organised communication with families and continued follow-up to prevent retaliation and repeated targeting.
