Country · Africa
Tanzania: cyberbullying law for schools
Bottom line for counselors: There is no clear legal duty for schools to have anti-bullying rules, so your school's own policy matters most. Takedown help is limited, so report harmful posts to the platform first. Serious online abuse can be a crime.
Last verified: checked against official sources on 11 November 2026.
Country
Tanzania
An offence named 'cyber bullying' has been in the Cybercrimes Act since 2015, and phones are restricted in classrooms.
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One point for each of the seven questions answered yes, half a point for partly. Where a rule is set nationally, the national answer counts. A quick guide, not a legal rating.
- No:
Do schools have to have anti-bullying rules?
No. We found no national law that requires schools to adopt anti-bullying rules.
- Partly:
Do those rules cover online bullying?
Partly. There are no school rules on online bullying, but section 23 of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 makes cyberbullying an offence.
- Partly:
Is there a regulator that can get harmful posts taken down?
Partly. The Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority can order prohibited online content removed under the Online Content Regulations (2020, amended 2025), but there is no dedicated route for bullying complaints.
Legal detail and sources
Source note: this answer relies on legal commentary or other non-official summaries (Bowmans), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
- No:
Is there a minimum age for social media?
No legal minimum age for social media.
- Partly:
What are the rules on phones at school?
Partly. The government says phones are already restricted in classrooms, and public secondary schools have long banned them.
Legal detail and sources
Source note: this answer draws on news reporting (The Citizen), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
- Yes:
When is online abuse a crime?
Yes. Section 23 of the Cybercrimes Act 2015 makes it an offence to send an electronic message intended to coerce, intimidate, harass or cause emotional distress.
Legal detail and sources
Critics say the offence has also been used to prosecute online criticism. Source note: this answer draws on news reporting (The Citizen) as well as official sources.
- Partly:
What guidance do staff and counselors get?
Partly. A government online-safety programme has trained facilitators who have reached teachers and more than 1.8 million students, but there is no national anti-bullying training requirement.
Legal detail and sources
Source note: this answer draws on news reporting (Daily News), not an official legal text. Check the official text before relying on it.
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