Parents across Dubai have recently received an important message in their inboxes — a warning about student safety and the growing risks of dangerous physical behaviours among children and teenagers.
In a circular sent to schools and parents, the Dubai Health Authority outlined the nature of these behaviours and why they pose such serious risks:
Students may be exposed to or encouraged to take part in unsafe physical behaviours such as:
Choking or breath holding
Applying pressure in the neck or head
Attempting
Initiating risky challenges
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The alerts come as the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), prepares to host a virtual parental awareness session to help families recognise and prevent potentially fatal behaviours linked to peer pressure and online trends.
Authorities say the initiative reflects the critical role parents play as the first line of defence in safeguarding children beyond school gates. According to the DHA, the session is designed to equip parents with practical tools to identify early warning signs, intervene effectively, and have calm, firm conversations with children before curiosity or social influence leads to harm.
Why are these behaviours dangerous?
These behaviours are not harmless games; they are medically dangerous and can be fatal. Any action that restricts breathing or blood flow to the brain can result in:
Brain damage within seconds
Sudden loss of consciousness
Seizures
Cardiac arrest
Strangulation marks and internal injuries
Death
There are no safe way to participate in these activities.
Health officials warn that even brief moments of oxygen restriction can have irreversible consequences, a reality that many children may not fully understand when such acts are framed online as “challenges” or dares. The circular also explains why some students may be drawn to these behaviours in the first place, pointing to peer influence, curiosity, social media trends, and sensation-seeking, particularly among pre-teens and teenagers.
To help families intervene early, parents are urged to remain alert to both physical and behavioural changes at home:
Warning signs parents should watch for
Physical signs include marks, redness, or bruising around the neck. Headache, dizziness or fainting. Bloodshot eyes.
Behavioural signs include sudden secrecy about online activity, talking about “challenges” or risky games, unexplained mood or behaviour changes and wearing clothing to hide the neck area.
Parents are also being advised to prioritise open communication, active monitoring of online content, and empowering children to say no when faced with pressure.
What parents can do
Talk calmly and clearly with or child about these dangers.
Reinforce that these behaviours are not games and never acceptable.
Monitor online content and discuss unsafe trends.
Encourage your child to say no, walk away, and report concerns to a trusted adult.
While the awareness drive is led by health and education authorities, school leaders across Dubai say such conversations are already embedded within their safeguarding frameworks. They stress that prevention works best when schools and parents operate as partners.
Trust and information-sharing
Claire Scowen, Vice President, Risk – Global Lead of Safeguarding and Child Protection, emphasised that early action depends on trust and information-sharing between home and school.
“Early identification and prevention depend on strong partnership and open communication between schools and parents. From our perspective, safeguarding is most effective when parents are equipped with timely, age-appropriate information about emerging online trends and associated risks, alongside practical guidance on behavioural or emotional changes to watch for at home. Schools play a critical role in creating an environment where parents feel confident raising concerns early, with reassurance that responses will always be supportive, confidential, and centred on student wellbeing. Regular engagement through safeguarding teams, counsellors, wellbeing teams, and structured parent forums ensures concerns are surfaced early and addressed before they escalate.”
Schoolheads add that safeguarding does not stop at awareness sessions for parents. Ongoing professional development ensures teachers and wellbeing staff are trained to recognise early warning signs, while leadership oversight helps ensure child protection protocols are applied consistently across campuses.
At the American Academy for Girls (AAG), long-term relationships between teachers, students and families are seen as a key protective factor.
Principal Lisa Johnson said continuity plays a vital role in noticing subtle changes that may signal deeper concerns.
“In our school, secondary homeroom teachers loop with their students from Grade 6 through Grade 12, which builds long-term trust with families and allows teachers to know students deeply. This continuity makes it much easier to notice changes in behaviour and respond early when something feels concerning.”
Empowering students to speak up
She added that empowering students themselves is equally important in building a culture of safety.
“Our school takes a proactive approach by empowering Mental Health Student Ambassadors to design and deliver student-led seminars about making healthy choices. Students also access age-appropriate learning modules through the online wellbeing platform youHQ, which supports decision-making, emotional awareness, and responsible online behavior. This consistent approach helps normalize open conversations around safety instead of waiting for concerns to arise.”
Other principals echo the view that students are more likely to speak up when they believe they will be supported rather than judged. Investing in student leadership and peer accountability, they say, helps young people look out for one another.
Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal of Credence High School, highlighted the importance of creating psychologically safe spaces within schools.
“Within the school environment, leadership teams ensure that teachers, counsellors, and wellbeing staff consistently reinforce these messages through classroom engagement, assemblies, and targeted interventions, while fostering a culture of trust and psychological safety where students feel confident to speak up about harmful online trends or peer pressure without fear of punishment or stigma.”
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