diff --git a/src/mixins/ValidationRules.js b/src/mixins/ValidationRules.js
index 336d3772..2de191e8 100644
--- a/src/mixins/ValidationRules.js
+++ b/src/mixins/ValidationRules.js
@@ -160,8 +160,18 @@ export const regex = (expression) => helpers.withParams({expression}, (value) =>
   return !!String(value).match(regexp);
 });
 
+const hasRequiredValue = (value) => {
+  if (value instanceof Array) {
+    return value.length > 0;
+  }
+  if (typeof value === 'string') {
+    return value.trim().length > 0;
+  }
+  return !isNil(value) && value !== false;
+};
+
 export const required = (value) => {
-  return value instanceof Array ? value.length > 0 : !isNil(value) && value !== '' && value !== false;
+  return hasRequiredValue(value);
 };
 
 export const requiredIf = (variable, expected, fieldName) => helpers.withParams({variable, expected}, function(value, data) {
@@ -174,7 +184,7 @@ export const requiredIf = (variable, expected, fieldName) => helpers.withParams(
     expectedValue = expected === 'true' || expected === '1';
   }
   if (variableValue != expectedValue) return true;
-  return value instanceof Array ? value.length > 0 : !!value;
+  return hasRequiredValue(value);
 });
 
 export const requiredUnless = (variable, expected, fieldName) => helpers.withParams({variable, expected}, function(value, data) {
@@ -187,7 +197,7 @@ export const requiredUnless = (variable, expected, fieldName) => helpers.withPar
     expectedValue = expected === 'true' || expected === '1';
   }
   if (variableValue == expectedValue) return true;
-  return value instanceof Array ? value.length > 0 : !!value;
+  return hasRequiredValue(value);
 });
   
 export const sameAs = (field, fieldName) => helpers.withParams({field}, function(value, data) {
diff --git a/tests/e2e/fixtures/required_whitespace.json b/tests/e2e/fixtures/required_whitespace.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..608c55b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/fixtures/required_whitespace.json
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+{
+  "type": "screen_package",
+  "version": "2",
+  "screens": [
+    {
+      "id": 32296,
+      "screen_category_id": "1",
+      "title": "Required Whitespace",
+      "description": "Required controls must reject whitespace-only values",
+      "type": "FORM",
+      "config": [
+        {
+          "name": "Required Whitespace",
+          "items": [
+            {
+              "label": "Line Input",
+              "component": "FormInput",
+              "config": {
+                "name": "required_input",
+                "type": "text",
+                "label": "Required Input",
+                "readonly": false,
+                "dataFormat": "string",
+                "validation": [
+                  {
+                    "value": "required",
+                    "content": "Required"
+                  }
+                ]
+              },
+              "inspector": [],
+              "editor-control": "FormInput",
+              "editor-component": "FormInput"
+            },
+            {
+              "label": "Text Area",
+              "component": "FormTextArea",
+              "config": {
+                "name": "required_textarea",
+                "label": "Required Textarea",
+                "readonly": false,
+                "richtext": false,
+                "rows": 3,
+                "validation": [
+                  {
+                    "value": "required",
+                    "content": "Required"
+                  }
+                ]
+              },
+              "inspector": [],
+              "editor-control": "FormTextArea",
+              "editor-component": "FormTextArea"
+            },
+            {
+              "label": "Submit Button",
+              "component": "FormButton",
+              "config": {
+                "name": "submit_button",
+                "event": "submit",
+                "label": "Submit",
+                "variant": "primary",
+                "fieldValue": null,
+                "defaultSubmit": true
+              },
+              "inspector": [],
+              "editor-control": "FormButton",
+              "editor-component": "FormButton"
+            }
+          ]
+        }
+      ],
+      "computed": [],
+      "watchers": [],
+      "custom_css": null
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/tests/e2e/specs/RequiredWhitespace.spec.js b/tests/e2e/specs/RequiredWhitespace.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c231b70d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/specs/RequiredWhitespace.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+describe("Required whitespace validation", () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    cy.visit("/");
+    cy.loadFromJson("required_whitespace.json", 0);
+    cy.get("[data-cy=mode-preview]").click();
+  });
+
+  it("blocks whitespace-only values without modifying valid input", () => {
+    let alert = false;
+    cy.on("window:alert", (message) => {
+      alert = message;
+    });
+
+    cy.get("[data-cy=preview-content] [name=required_input]").type("   ", {
+      parseSpecialCharSequences: false
+    });
+    cy.get("[data-cy=preview-content] [name=required_textarea]").type("   ", {
+      parseSpecialCharSequences: false
+    });
+    cy.get("[data-cy=preview-content] [name=submit_button]").click();
+
+    cy.shouldHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-required_input");
+    cy.shouldHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-required_textarea");
+    cy.then(() => expect(alert).to.equal(false));
+
+    cy.get("[data-cy=preview-content] [name=required_input]")
+      .clear()
+      .type("  value  ", { parseSpecialCharSequences: false })
+      .should("have.value", "  value  ");
+    cy.get("[data-cy=preview-content] [name=required_textarea]")
+      .clear()
+      .type("  value  ", { parseSpecialCharSequences: false })
+      .should("have.value", "  value  ");
+
+    cy.shouldNotHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-required_input");
+    cy.shouldNotHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-required_textarea");
+    cy.get("[data-cy=preview-content] [name=submit_button]").click();
+    cy.then(() => expect(alert).to.equal("Preview Form was Submitted"));
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/e2e/specs/ValidationRules.spec.js b/tests/e2e/specs/ValidationRules.spec.js
index 57b5cbb1..07e6237f 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/specs/ValidationRules.spec.js
+++ b/tests/e2e/specs/ValidationRules.spec.js
@@ -487,6 +487,12 @@ describe("Validation Rules", () => {
     ).click();
     cy.shouldHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-form_input_2");
 
+    // Whitespace-only values should not satisfy the active rule
+    cy.get(
+      '[data-cy=preview-content] [data-cy="screen-field-form_input_2"]'
+    ).type("   ", { parseSpecialCharSequences: false });
+    cy.shouldHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-form_input_2");
+
     // Uncheck box 1
     cy.get(
       '[data-cy=preview-content] [data-cy="screen-field-form_checkbox_1"]'
@@ -515,6 +521,12 @@ describe("Validation Rules", () => {
     ).click();
     cy.shouldHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-form_input_2");
 
+    // Whitespace-only values should not satisfy the active rule
+    cy.get(
+      '[data-cy=preview-content] [data-cy="screen-field-form_input_2"]'
+    ).type("   ", { parseSpecialCharSequences: false });
+    cy.shouldHaveValidationErrors("screen-field-form_input_2");
+
     // Uncheck box 1
     cy.get(
       '[data-cy=preview-content] [data-cy="screen-field-form_checkbox_1"]'
diff --git a/tests/unit/ValidationRules.spec.js b/tests/unit/ValidationRules.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..43c26438
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/ValidationRules.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import {
+  required,
+  requiredIf,
+  requiredUnless
+} from "../../src/mixins/ValidationRules";
+
+const validationContext = {
+  getDataAccordingToFieldLevel(data) {
+    return data;
+  },
+  getRootScreen() {
+    return {
+      addReferenceToParents(data) {
+        return data;
+      }
+    };
+  }
+};
+
+const activeValidators = [
+  ["required", (value) => required(value)],
+  [
+    "requiredIf",
+    (value) =>
+      requiredIf("trigger", "true", "field").call(validationContext, value, {
+        trigger: true
+      })
+  ],
+  [
+    "requiredUnless",
+    (value) =>
+      requiredUnless("trigger", "true", "field").call(
+        validationContext,
+        value,
+        { trigger: false }
+      )
+  ]
+];
+
+describe.each(activeValidators)("%s", (name, validate) => {
+  it.each([
+    ["an empty string", ""],
+    ["spaces", "   "],
+    ["tabs and newlines", "\t\n"],
+    ["null", null],
+    ["undefined", undefined],
+    ["false", false],
+    ["an empty array", []]
+  ])("rejects %s", (description, value) => {
+    expect(validate(value)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    ["visible text with surrounding spaces", "  value  "],
+    ["zero", 0],
+    ["a non-empty array", ["value"]]
+  ])("accepts %s", (description, value) => {
+    expect(validate(value)).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("inactive conditional required rules", () => {
+  it("does not require a value when requiredIf does not match", () => {
+    const validate = requiredIf("trigger", "true", "field");
+
+    expect(validate.call(validationContext, "   ", { trigger: false })).toBe(
+      true
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("does not require a value when requiredUnless matches", () => {
+    const validate = requiredUnless("trigger", "true", "field");
+
+    expect(validate.call(validationContext, "   ", { trigger: true })).toBe(
+      true
+    );
+  });
+});