Cultural norms, digital infrastructures, and institutional trust: Rethinking bullying governance in UAE schools

Abstract

Bullying in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is not an isolated breach of student conduct but a structural outcome of governance logics embedded in digital infrastructures and honor-based social norms. This study reconceptualizes cyberbullying as an extension of institutional hierarchies and cultural authority, rather than a discrete online phenomenon. Employing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, it integrates survey data from 3,482 students, 84 in-depth interviews across 53 schools, and natural language processing (NLP) analysis of adolescent discourse. Findings show that institutional trust, operationalized through perceived fairness, confidentiality, and responsiveness, is the most significant predictor of whether students disclose harm. Female students and victims of social exclusion exhibit the lowest trust levels, constrained by reputational risk and family honor codes. The study advances two original contributions: the Cultural Calculus Model, which frames disclosure as a culturally mediated decision-making process, and the Majlis Trust Model, an AI-assisted, restorative governance framework aligned with the UAE’s Wellbeing Strategy 2031. By positioning trust as a precondition for adolescent safety, the research offers a culturally grounded and digitally ethical blueprint for addressing bullying in hierarchical, collectivist school systems worldwide.