Boy skips school after fake explicit image spreads online
The child discovered that his face had been digitally placed on someone else's body
Dubai: A schoolboy refused to return to class after classmates circulated a fabricated explicit image of him online.
Aisha Al Kendi, social worker and head of activities at the Awareness and Juvenile Care Association, said the incident reflects a troubling shift in youth behaviour driven by revenge, the pursuit of quick fame and the desire to gain likes and followers.
She warned that many young people cross boundaries when using smartphones without understanding that content shared in seconds can remain online for years, affecting their academic and professional futures and, in some cases, leading to legal consequences, according to Emarat Al Youm.
In the case, the child discovered that his face had been digitally placed on an inappropriate body and shared among classmates following a minor disagreement with a peer.
The humiliation left him in severe emotional distress and unwilling to attend school. The image was later found to have been created using widely available applications that allow users to manipulate photographs with ease.
Al Kendi said such cases demonstrate how digital harm can extend beyond direct verbal bullying. “Bullying today is not always obvious,” she explained. “It can take silent forms such as deliberate exclusion from social groups or the spread of indirect hints and rumours. These behaviours can isolate children and affect their academic performance, even when no clear insults are spoken.”
She stressed that digital safety is no longer optional but an educational necessity in a rapidly evolving online environment. Parents, she said, must monitor their children’s use of smart devices in an organised way, understand the platforms and accounts they interact with, and set clear limits to balance online and offline life.
Cyberbullying, she added, often begins with sarcastic comments and can escalate into organised smear campaigns. Online grooming, meanwhile, may involve fake accounts exploiting emotional vulnerability or curiosity, gradually persuading young people to share personal information or private images.
Al Kendi also warned of the increasing complexity of digital blackmail, which can be built on seemingly harmless information shared on public profiles. “Any image or data circulated online may remain retrievable even after deletion,” she said.
In another case, she cited a teenager who spent long hours communicating with a virtual persona and began to withdraw from family life and school responsibilities.
The developmental stage of adolescence, she noted, is particularly sensitive, as young people are more susceptible to external influences. This requires informed parental presence that balances discipline with empathy and ongoing engagement.
She added that viral online challenges may involve self-harm, harming others, violating privacy or trespassing into restricted places, exposing participants to legal accountability. In one incident, a group of teenagers attempted to imitate a popular challenge, resulting in injuries that required medical treatment.
The emergence of artificial intelligence has further complicated the landscape. Technologies that can replicate faces and voices with high precision now enable the creation of realistic fake videos that may be used for defamation or extortion, making it increasingly difficult to distinguish between authentic and fabricated content.
Ban is not the answer
Al Kendi stressed that the solution does not lie in fear or blanket prohibition, but in building strong digital awareness. This includes teaching children self-protection skills, privacy settings, refusing unknown friend requests and reporting harmful content, alongside fostering trust within families so children feel safe seeking support.
She also pointed to a rise in emotional blackmail cases, including a girl who communicated for months with a profile claiming to belong to a boy her age. The individual later demanded private images to “build trust” before threatening to expose her.
“The real challenge is not the device itself,” she said, “but the hidden world inside it, where truth mixes with fabricated content and safe relationships overlap with dangerous ones.”
She called for the integration of digital upbringing as a daily practice rooted in open dialogue, trust and awareness rather than prohibition. Equipping children with knowledge and responsibility, she added, remains the most effective safeguard in a rapidly changing digital age.
