UAE private schools ban parents from taking photos on campus, and from sharing old ones on WhatsApp

Dubai: Private school administrations have banned parents from taking ‘random’ family photos or recording videos on campus throughout the school day, whether of their children or other students. 

They have issued mandatory circulars regulating the use of cameras and prohibiting the sharing of any content showing students on WhatsApp groups or social media platforms without parental consent, in a move aimed at protecting children's privacy and putting an end to what they described as ‘random filming’ inside schools.

School principals confirmed that the family photograph loses its innocence as soon as it includes other children in its background without their parents’ permission, as it turns from a personal memory into an infringement on the privacy of students whose parents did not choose to photograph them or publish their pictures, especially when the picture leaves its owner’s phone to digital groups and platforms where it is difficult to control the extent of its spread or recirculation.

They stressed that the presence of a father or mother inside the school premises does not give them the right to include other children in the frame of the picture, even in passing, considering that protecting the privacy of students begins before pressing the camera button, not after publishing, and that a snapshot that does not take seconds may reveal the faces of children, their presence and their school environment to an unlimited circle of recipients.

In detail, circulars were issued by private school administrations to parents, following the detection of cases of filming inside the school premises, in which the children of the photographers and other students appeared, before the photos and videos were circulated via WhatsApp groups and social media platforms.

The schools stressed that the ban on photography is not limited to classrooms, but extends to all times and facilities of the school day, including student drop-off and pick-up times, school gatherings, corridors, playgrounds, and all other school facilities, stressing that the measure is to protect the privacy and safety of students and staff and to preserve their rights.

Through its circulars, the schools expanded the scope of the procedures to previously filmed content, asking parents not to republish or circulate any pictures or videos taken inside the school premises that show the faces of other students, and to delete the post from social media platforms and parents’ groups, in order to cut off the circulation and prevent the filmed content from getting out of control after it is published.

Background trouble

Samer Sarhan, the director of a private school, said that the problem does not always start with deliberately filming another student, but rather with a shot in which the parent focuses on his son, while the background includes a number of students or teachers, or details that reveal the name of the school, its location, and entry and exit times.

He added that the phone may record, in addition to the image, side conversations, behavioural situations, or personal moments of other students, and then the material is transferred to dozens of phones once it is published within a group for parents, so that the school and the family lose the ability to know who saved it or forwarded it.

He stressed that the ban on photography is not aimed at restricting families or confiscating their right to preserve their children's memories, but rather at regulating this right within an environment that includes hundreds of students, each of whom, along with their family, has a different stance regarding being photographed or having their pictures published.

He explained that the school bears the responsibility of protecting students during the school day and controlling movement within its facilities, and therefore photography cannot be left to individual interpretations, especially in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, and areas for dropping off and picking up children.

Photography in school events

Salma Eid, the principal of a private school, said that the photography regulations exclude official school events where specific invitations are extended to parents to attend and participate. However, this exception does not give families the freedom to take unrestricted photos, as photography remains limited to their children, while avoiding taking or publishing any photos or videos in which other students appear without their parents' consent.

She emphasised that opening the school doors for a party or event does not turn the school grounds into a public space open to cameras, and that inviting parents to attend does not mean there is collective consent to photographing children or publishing their pictures, stressing the need to clearly distinguish between the “right to attend the event” and the “right to photograph the participants in it”.

She added that schools can document their events through accredited photographers, according to the approvals registered with them, in addition to allocating specific points or angles for photography that limit the appearance of other students in the background, while notifying families in advance of the controls, in order to ensure that the occasion is documented without turning it into an open space for photography or infringing on the privacy of any child.

Digital map of students

Amani Hajir, a digital security and safety specialist at a private school, confirmed that the danger of the school photo goes beyond the child’s face, as it may reveal the school logo, his name, his grade, and his classmates, as well as indicators of his arrival and departure times, thus drawing a ‘digital map’ of his identity and movements.

She warned that blurring faces is insufficient if details remain that could reveal the student's identity or school. The risk is compounded after posting, as the image can leave a limited group within seconds through forwarding or screenshots. She emphasised that "protection begins before you press the shutter button." 

Hajir called for transforming photography guidelines into a written school policy that includes a rapid reporting and deletion mechanism, while also educating families that class WhatsApp groups are not entirely private spaces.

Psychological and educational consultant, Dr. Ahmed Eid, said that random photography may shake a child’s sense of security inside the school, especially if an embarrassing shot or a moment of emotion turns into a subject of ridicule and bullying, which may push him to avoid activities or monitor his behaviour for fear of the camera.

He stressed that protecting students psychologically requires schools to move from simply banning photography to early prevention, by controlling its locations and occasions, limiting the documentation of events to accredited photographers, with a quick channel for reporting and deletion, and immediate educational and psychological intervention in case of misuse of any image.

Eid stressed that a psychologically safe school is one that prevents harm before it occurs, not one that reacts after the image has spread, emphasising that respecting the child’s privacy is an integral part of protecting him within the school environment.

What the law says

Legal advisor Maha Al Jasmi said that a parent taking a picture of their child does not automatically give them the right to photograph another child or publish their picture without the consent of their parents. She stressed that using technical means to photograph others or circulate their pictures in a way that affects their privacy may entail legal responsibility, according to the circumstances of each incident, the nature of the content, the purpose of the photography, and how it is used.

She explained that Article 44 of Federal Decree-Law No. 34 of 2021 on Combating Rumours and Cybercrimes criminalises forms of privacy violations using an information network, electronic information system, or any means of information technology, including taking pictures of others in a public or private place, or preparing, transferring, disclosing, copying, or retaining electronic images.

Al-Jasmi stressed that the responsibility does not necessarily stop with the person who took the picture, as resending or publishing expands the circle of content circulation and may multiply its impact, which necessitates not treating pictures received through social media groups as permissible to republish simply because the recipient did not take them himself.

Parents were urged, upon discovering a published image of their children without their consent, to request its removal and to contact the publisher and the school administration, while keeping proof of the publication in case official action is needed.

She stressed that the appearance of a child in a fleeting image does not automatically imply legal responsibility in every case, as each incident has its own circumstances. However, the safest rule is not to publish pictures of other children without the consent of their parents, to respond immediately to any request for deletion, and not to use the pictures in a way that infringes on their privacy or exposes them to harm.

Parents’ opinions

Parents had differing opinions on schools tightening the ban on photography. While some saw documenting the first day and events as a family right as long as it did not infringe on the privacy of others, others supported the ban within school facilities, stressing that a single picture reaching a group of dozens of people could quickly get out of control.

Parent Hala Maher said the problem is not the image that remains on the family's phone, but the speed with which it is shared without checking what appears in its background or taking into account the privacy of other students, noting that resending makes containing its spread later extremely difficult.

Parent Ehab Ziada said that tightening controls should be accompanied by organized alternatives, such as allocating points for taking pictures during events or making official photos available to families, in a way that preserves their right to document their children's memories without the privacy of other children being part of the picture.

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