Lantern · United Kingdom & Ireland
UK & IrelandCyberbullying law, nation by nation
Five education systems, five sets of rules. Compare what England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland expect of schools on bullying, online harm and phones.
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Profiles of the UK nations and Ireland
Nation of the United Kingdom
England
New 29 June 2026: England makes its school phone guidance statutory
Anti-bullying measures required by law; phones restricted from September 2026.
Compare with anywhere else Open the full page for EnglandProtection score
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.
- Yes:
Do schools have to have anti-bullying rules?
Yes. By law, every school must include measures to prevent all forms of bullying in its behaviour policy.
Legal detail and sources
Education and Inspections Act 2006 s89 (maintained schools); independent school standards cover academies.
- Yes:
Do those rules cover online bullying?
Yes. Head teachers can act on bullying that happens off site, including online.
Legal detail and sources
Education and Inspections Act 2006 s89(5) lets schools regulate pupils' conduct outside school to a reasonable extent.
- Set nationally:
Is there a regulator that can get harmful posts taken down?
Yes. Ofcom enforces the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to protect children from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom's Protection of Children Codes took effect 25 July 2025. Ofcom regulates platforms' systems; it does not take down individual posts on request, so families report to the platform first.
- Partly:
Is there a minimum age for social media?
No ban. Children can consent to data use by apps from age 13; platforms must keep children away from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
UK data protection law (Data Protection Act 2018 s9) sets the digital age of consent at 13. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must use effective age checks to stop children seeing the most harmful content.
- Yes:
What are the rules on phones at school?
Schools must restrict phones for the whole school day: statutory guidance from 1 September 2026.
Legal detail and sources
Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 s36 made the mobile phones guidance statutory from 29 June 2026; schools follow it from 1 September 2026.
- Yes:
When is online abuse a crime?
Sending threats, knowingly false harmful messages, or grossly offensive messages can be a crime.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023 created new offences from 31 January 2024: false communications (s179) and threatening communications (s181, up to 5 years). Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988 still cover grossly offensive messages. Some offences apply differently in Scotland.
- Yes:
What guidance do staff and counselors get?
Yes. Department for Education guidance on preventing and tackling bullying and on cyberbullying.
Legal detail and sources
Nation of the United Kingdom
Scotland
Respect for All guidance; every bullying report should be recorded.
Compare with anywhere else Open the full page for ScotlandProtection score
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.
- Partly:
Do schools have to have anti-bullying rules?
National guidance, not a law. Every council and school is expected to have an anti-bullying policy based on Respect for All.
Legal detail and sources
Respect for All: The National Approach to Anti-Bullying (updated November 2024) replaces the 2017 guidance and the 2018 recording guidance.
- Yes:
Do those rules cover online bullying?
Yes. Online bullying should be treated as seriously as face-to-face bullying.
Legal detail and sources
Respect for All includes advice on online bullying.
- Set nationally:
Is there a regulator that can get harmful posts taken down?
Yes. Ofcom enforces the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to protect children from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom's Protection of Children Codes took effect 25 July 2025. Ofcom regulates platforms' systems; it does not take down individual posts on request, so families report to the platform first.
- Partly:
Is there a minimum age for social media?
No ban. Children can consent to data use by apps from age 13; platforms must keep children away from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
UK data protection law (Data Protection Act 2018 s9) sets the digital age of consent at 13. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must use effective age checks to stop children seeing the most harmful content.
- Partly:
What are the rules on phones at school?
Head teachers decide. National guidance from August 2024 supports restricting or banning phones.
Legal detail and sources
- Yes:
When is online abuse a crime?
Sending threats, knowingly false harmful messages, or grossly offensive messages can be a crime.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023 created new offences from 31 January 2024: false communications (s179) and threatening communications (s181, up to 5 years). Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988 still cover grossly offensive messages. Some offences apply differently in Scotland.
- Yes:
What guidance do staff and counselors get?
Yes. Respect for All sets one way to record and monitor every bullying report.
Legal detail and sources
Schools record incidents through SEEMiS or a similar system.
Nation of the United Kingdom
Wales
New April 2026: Wales issues revised statutory anti-bullying guidance
Statutory Rights, respect, equality guidance, refreshed in 2026.
Compare with anywhere else Open the full page for WalesProtection score
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.
- Yes:
Do schools have to have anti-bullying rules?
Yes. Schools must have regard to statutory anti-bullying guidance, Rights, respect, equality.
Legal detail and sources
Revised statutory guidance issued April 2026 (guidance document 308/2026), replacing the 2019 version.
- Yes:
Do those rules cover online bullying?
Yes. The guidance covers online bullying.
- Set nationally:
Is there a regulator that can get harmful posts taken down?
Yes. Ofcom enforces the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to protect children from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom's Protection of Children Codes took effect 25 July 2025. Ofcom regulates platforms' systems; it does not take down individual posts on request, so families report to the platform first.
- Partly:
Is there a minimum age for social media?
No ban. Children can consent to data use by apps from age 13; platforms must keep children away from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
UK data protection law (Data Protection Act 2018 s9) sets the digital age of consent at 13. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must use effective age checks to stop children seeing the most harmful content.
- Partly:
What are the rules on phones at school?
Schools set their own rules for now. Statutory guidance to restrict phones went out for consultation in September 2026.
Legal detail and sources
- Yes:
When is online abuse a crime?
Sending threats, knowingly false harmful messages, or grossly offensive messages can be a crime.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023 created new offences from 31 January 2024: false communications (s179) and threatening communications (s181, up to 5 years). Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988 still cover grossly offensive messages. Some offences apply differently in Scotland.
- Yes:
What guidance do staff and counselors get?
Yes. The statutory guidance is written for school staff, governors and councils.
Nation of the United Kingdom
Northern Ireland
A dedicated anti-bullying law; every incident must be recorded.
Compare with anywhere else Open the full page for Northern IrelandProtection score
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.
- Yes:
Do schools have to have anti-bullying rules?
Yes. A specific law requires every school to have anti-bullying measures and to record every incident.
Legal detail and sources
Addressing Bullying in Schools Act (Northern Ireland) 2016, in force 1 September 2021. It defines bullying, including by electronic means.
- Partly:
Do those rules cover online bullying?
Partly. The law covers online bullying, and lets (but does not require) schools to act on it outside school.
Legal detail and sources
Section 2(b) allows measures for bullying that happens outside school, including online, where it affects the pupil's education.
- Set nationally:
Is there a regulator that can get harmful posts taken down?
Yes. Ofcom enforces the Online Safety Act, which requires platforms to protect children from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom's Protection of Children Codes took effect 25 July 2025. Ofcom regulates platforms' systems; it does not take down individual posts on request, so families report to the platform first.
- Partly:
Is there a minimum age for social media?
No ban. Children can consent to data use by apps from age 13; platforms must keep children away from harmful content.
Legal detail and sources
UK data protection law (Data Protection Act 2018 s9) sets the digital age of consent at 13. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must use effective age checks to stop children seeing the most harmful content.
- Partly:
What are the rules on phones at school?
Schools decide, with department guidance issued in autumn 2024.
- Yes:
When is online abuse a crime?
Sending threats, knowingly false harmful messages, or grossly offensive messages can be a crime.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety Act 2023 created new offences from 31 January 2024: false communications (s179) and threatening communications (s181, up to 5 years). Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and the Malicious Communications Act 1988 still cover grossly offensive messages. Some offences apply differently in Scotland.
- Yes:
What guidance do staff and counselors get?
Yes. Schools must record incidents and their motivation.
Country
Ireland
Bí Cineálta policy in every school; primary smartphone ban; Coco's Law.
Compare with anywhere else Open the full page for IrelandProtection score
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.
- Yes:
Do schools have to have anti-bullying rules?
Yes. Every school must have a Bí Cineálta ("Be kind") policy to prevent and address bullying, reviewed every year.
Legal detail and sources
Bí Cineálta Procedures to Prevent and Address Bullying Behaviour for Primary and Post-Primary Schools (published 19 June 2024, Circular 55/2024), in effect from September 2025. They replace the 2013 procedures and come from the Cineáltas Action Plan on Bullying (2022).
- Yes:
Do those rules cover online bullying?
Yes. Bullying is defined as targeted behaviour, online or offline, that causes harm.
Legal detail and sources
The procedures cover cyberbullying, gender identity bullying, racist and sexist bullying and sexual harassment.
- Yes:
Is there a regulator that can get harmful posts taken down?
Yes. Coimisiún na Meán, the media regulator, enforces a binding Online Safety Code for video platforms based in Ireland.
Legal detail and sources
Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 set up Coimisiún na Meán. Its Online Safety Code was adopted in October 2024; the age-assurance rules took effect 21 July 2025. As EU Digital Services Coordinator it also enforces the Digital Services Act.
- Partly:
Is there a minimum age for social media?
No ban. Children can consent to apps using their data from age 16. Adult video content requires age checks.
Legal detail and sources
Data Protection Act 2018 s31 sets the digital age of consent at 16.
- Yes:
What are the rules on phones at school?
Primary schools must ban smartphones; post-primary schools must restrict them all day.
Legal detail and sources
Department guidance issued June 2025, with €9 million for phone pouches and lockers (Circulars 0044, 0045 and 0046 of 2025).
- Yes:
When is online abuse a crime?
Yes. Coco's Law makes serious online harassment and sharing intimate images without consent a crime.
Legal detail and sources
Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (Coco's Law). It created offences for distributing or threatening to distribute intimate images without consent and extended harassment to cover any form of communication, including online.
- Yes:
What guidance do staff and counselors get?
Yes. Teachers have free cyberbullying courses and Bí Cineálta training.
Legal detail and sources
Oide runs online courses on cyberbullying in primary and post-primary schools.
Compare at a glance
Select a name to open its full profile.
| Nation | School rules | Online bullying | Takedown help | Age limits | Phones | Criminal law | Staff guidance | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | Yes | Yes | National | Partly | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5.5 of 7 |
| Scotland | Partly | Yes | National | Partly | Partly | Yes | Yes | 4.5 of 7 |
| Wales | Yes | Yes | National | Partly | Partly | Yes | Yes | 5 of 7 |
| Northern Ireland | Yes | Partly | National | Partly | Partly | Yes | Yes | 4.5 of 7 |
| Ireland | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.5 of 7 |
Clear rule in place Partly, or schools decide Set by national law
Plain-English summaries for educators, checked against official sources on 11 November 2026. This is not legal advice. Open “Legal detail and sources” for the law itself.
Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with credit, under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 licence.