Junior Detectives · Mission 3 of 6
Photos can lie
Find out how a photo can lie and how to catch it out.
about 6 minutesStart with the → key or the space bar.
💬Case no. 3: Snow in June
It’s June and it’s hot outside. A message pops up on Emma’s tablet.
The photo shows a town square full of snow. Underneath it says: ‘A metre of snow fell here this morning! Send this on!’
Emma is just about to tap Forward. Then she looks out of the window. The sun is shining.
‘Leo, you take photos,’ Emma calls. ‘How can a photo lie?’
Three ways a photo can lie
1. It has been edited. An app can add, remove or recolour things. It only takes a moment.
2. It was taken to trick you. A tiny frog looks huge up close. Cropping hides what’s next to it.
3. It’s real, but from another day or place. The snow photo is probably from another winter. It has been taken out of its story.
Pictures made by a computer
Today a computer can make a picture that looks like a photo. Sometimes a mistake gives it away: strange hands or blurry writing. But not always. It’s hard to tell, even for adults.
So a detective asks: Who took the photo? Where and when?
Game: Photo or trick? · Message 1 of 2
Read the message with the photo. Tap the sentences that are trying to trick you. But one message is fine.
A message with a photo of a snowy town square. It’s June and hot outside.
AMAZING! A metre of snow fell here this morning. The photo is proof! Send this to everyone so they all know!
Marked: 0 · After the discussion, click the places the class agrees on. Then show the analysis.
Game: Photo or trick? · Message 2 of 2
Read the message with the photo. Tap the sentences that are trying to trick you. But one message is fine.
A picture in the school magazine for April Fool’s Day
April Fool’s collage: our caretaker on the Moon. We put our caretaker’s photo into a Moon picture on a computer. Our caretaker agreed and laughed a lot. Photo by Leo, class 2B.
Marked: 0 · After the discussion, click the places the class agrees on. Then show the analysis.
Quiz: Photo or trick? · Question 1 of 3
How can a photo lie?
Click the answer the class decides on. Then show the right one.
Quiz: Photo or trick? · Question 2 of 3
A friend sends a photo of a giant fish. They say they caught it yesterday. What do you do?
Click the answer the class decides on. Then show the right one.
Quiz: Photo or trick? · Question 3 of 3
A picture looks like a photo. The tower clock has 13 numbers and the sign is blurry. What could it be?
Click the answer the class decides on. Then show the right one.
Detective rule
- ◆A photo can be edited, cleverly taken or from another day.
- ◆Ask: Who took it? Where and when?
- ◆Not sure? Don’t send it on.
💬Let's talk
- 1Take a close-up photo of a small toy so it looks huge. How does it work?
- 2Which photo online surprised you most? Could it have been lying?
- 3When is an edited photo OK?
Tip for the teacher
Show your child on your phone how a filter, cropping or zooming in changes a photo. When children try a trick themselves, they remember it best.
✓ Mission complete!
At home, children can play it again – with their parents, for example. Free and without an account.
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