Cyberbullying and phone rules in Spanish schools

Terms used

• ESO — ESO is compulsory secondary school in Spain, for ages 12 to 16.
• Bachillerato — Bachillerato is the two-year pre-university stage after ESO.
• FP — FP is vocational training, a school route to job qualifications.
• Inspección — The inspección is the regional education inspectorate that supervises schools.

Key rules

• Regional rules: Each region sets its own phone rules, so the school's written policy and your region's rules decide what applies.
• Outside school hours: Online harassment between pupils of the same school is handled under the anti-bullying protocol even when it happens off school premises.
• Evidence: Save screenshots and links before anything is deleted.
• 017 line: The 017 line is free and confidential but is not an emergency service; call 112 in an emergency.

Phone rules depend on your region and your school

Education is run by each region, so each region sets its own phone rules. By the 2025-26 school year nearly every region had banned phones or restricted them strongly, including Madrid, Galicia, Castilla-La Mancha, Andalucía, Cataluña, Valencia, Murcia, Cantabria, Aragón, Asturias, Canarias, La Rioja, Extremadura, Navarra and the Basque Country.

The usual pattern:

• Primary: phones banned, often including breaks.
• ESO (secondary, ages 12 to 16): banned or tightly limited in class and at breaks.
• Bachillerato and FP: phones allowed only for teaching purposes.

Cataluña, Madrid and Galicia are among the strictest, with rules covering the whole school day. Exceptions exist for medical or teaching needs. Ask the school for its written rules and what exceptions it allows. Private schools follow the regional rules plus their own policies. Rules changed between 2024 and 2026, so check the current text with your region's education department.

How the school treats online harassment

Cyberbullying between pupils is treated as bullying, even if it happens outside school hours or on personal phones. This applies when the pupils attend the same school and the harassment affects school life.

In practice the school must:

• open its anti-bullying protocol,
• protect the victim,
• tell the school inspectorate (the inspección) if the case is serious.

Ask the school in writing to open the protocol. Each region words its protocol differently, so ask for the regional text too.

Serious cases can also be reported to the police or prosecutor. Pupils under 14 are not criminally liable, but the school and the education authority still have to act.

Where to report online content

Start by keeping evidence: screenshots and links, including messages sent outside school hours.

1. Report on the platform. Use the in-app reporting tools on the app or site where the content appears.
2. Use the data protection agency's priority channel. It handles urgent removal of sexual, violent or humiliating images or videos posted without consent, especially of minors. Fill in the form on the agency's online office. Describe the content, give the links, attach screenshots, attach ID for the affected person (a parent or guardian for a minor) and show it was shared without consent. The agency can act against the publisher and ask platforms to remove the content. It covers privacy and image rights, not every kind of abuse.
3. File a police complaint with the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil if the case is serious.

Help line 017

The 017 line is a free, confidential helpline on digital safety. It advises on cyberbullying, grooming, sextortion, privacy and online fraud. Children, parents, guardians and teachers can use it. It runs every day from 8:00 to 23:00 by phone, WhatsApp, Telegram and a web form. It gives guidance on evidence, platform reports and next steps. It is not an emergency service: in an emergency, call 112.

The checklist and questions below walk you through these steps.

Checklist

• Ask the school for its written phone rules for your child's stage and check them against your region's rules.

• Ask the school what exceptions exist for medical or teaching needs if your child needs their phone.

• Save screenshots and links of any abusive messages or posts, including those sent outside school hours.

• Ask the school to open its anti-bullying protocol, as it covers online harassment between pupils of the same school.

• Report abusive content with the in-app reporting tools of the platform where it appears.

• Send the AEPD priority channel form if sexual, violent or humiliating images or videos of your child were posted without consent.

• File a police complaint with the Policía Nacional or Guardia Civil if the case is serious.

• Call the 017 line for advice on evidence, platform reports and next steps.

Frequently asked questions

Does the school have to act if cyberbullying happens outside school hours?

Yes, the school must act if the cyberbullying involves pupils of the same school and affects school life, even when it happens at night or on personal phones. It has to open the protocol, protect the victim and tell the education inspection if the case is serious. Serious cases can also go to the police or the prosecutor.

Can I ask for an intimate or humiliating video of my child to be removed quickly?

Yes, the data protection agency (AEPD) has a priority channel for urgent removal of sexual, violent or humiliating images posted without consent. Use the form on its website, add the links, screenshots and ID of the affected person or parent.

Are phone rules the same in every Spanish school?

No, each region sets its own phone rules, so they differ by region and school. The usual pattern is a ban in primary, a ban or tight limits in ESO, and use only for teaching in Bachillerato and FP.