Parents and visitors at Dubai private schools are being reminded not to photograph or record other students and staff on school grounds without appropriate consent, under guidance that reflects UAE privacy requirements and school safeguarding measures.
A recent circular sent to parents by a Dubai school asked families and visitors to avoid taking photos or videos if other pupils or employees could be captured without their consent. It said the request was in line with UAE privacy requirements and guidance being reinforced across private schools.
The advice applies across school premises, including classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, assemblies and drop-off and pick-up areas. Parents have also been asked not to post or distribute images and videos featuring other students without consent through social media, WhatsApp groups or other digital platforms.
Privacy and safeguarding considerations
The guidance is linked to the UAE’s Federal Decree Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data. Under the law, personal data generally cannot be processed without consent, subject to specified exceptions. The legislation sets requirements concerning the confidentiality, security and privacy of personal data.
For private schools, these protections operate alongside Dubai’s school regulatory framework, which requires schools to preserve student rights and take necessary steps to protect them.
KHDA’s current school protocols also identify photography as a privacy issue. They state that photographing students in vulnerable situations violates their privacy. An image intended as a family photograph may therefore raise concerns when another child is clearly identifiable in the background and the image is shared beyond the family.
The issue can become harder to manage once a photo or video is sent through messaging groups or uploaded to social media, where additional sharing may be difficult to control.
Photography at school events
The circular does not prohibit families from recording their own children’s school milestones. Instead, it asks parents to follow arrangements set by individual schools, which may specify the times and locations where photography is allowed.
“Official school photography will continue to follow our established consent and safeguarding procedures,” the circular said.
For parents attending concerts, assemblies, sports days and similar events, entry to the school does not automatically grant permission to photograph or film every child in attendance. Dubai schools commonly use parental-consent procedures for the use of children’s images and set rules for recording at events and for posts on social media.
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