Not Falling for It · Mission 5 of 7
Edited screenshots and deepfakes
A screenshot is easy to edit, and AI can create video and voices. You'll learn how to find out what really happened – and what to do if someone misuses a person's photo or video.
about 8 minutesStart with the → key or the space bar.
💬Tuesday, 9:47 pm
A message pings in the class 8B group chat. Simon posts an image that looks exactly like a message from the school app: “No school tomorrow.” The school logo, the date, the head teacher's signature. Everything looks right.
Ten minutes later the whole class knows. Natalie is already texting her mum that she can have a lie-in tomorrow. But there's no such message in the school app. Someone edited the image – and Simon just forwarded it.
In this lesson you'll find out why a screenshot isn't proof, how to check a video with a famous face, and what to do if something like this is about you.
A screenshot is just a picture
A screenshot looks like proof: it shows the time, the battery, a name and a logo. But it's still just a picture. It's easy to edit one or to make a whole new one. There are apps and websites that create a fake chat or post that looks real.
A screenshot also loses everything you could check: it has no link, you can't click on it and you can't see who really wrote the message.
How to check:
- Find the original. Look directly in the school app, on the school website or on the profile of the person the message is supposed to be from. If it isn't there, that's a warning.
- Ask directly. Message the person who supposedly wrote it – not in the group, but them.
- Search for the picture. Search engines can search by image and may show websites where the same or a similar picture has appeared before. That way you can find out whether a photo “from today” is actually a few years old.
And what if a screenshot about someone in your class is going round? Don't send it on. Even if it's real, it can really hurt that person.
Deepfakes: when a computer makes the video
A deepfake is a video, photo or voice recording that artificial intelligence (AI) has created or changed so that it looks like a real person. A famous person in it then “says” something they never said.
Deepfakes used to give themselves away with a strangely moving mouth, a blurry face or a voice that didn't match. The Czech police, for example, warn that you can no longer rely on such glitches – they may not appear at all. So photos and videos may not show what really happened.
Instead of studying the pixels, ask:
- Who posted it? Is it that person's official account, or a profile you don't know?
- Is anyone else reporting it? If a famous person really said something shocking, reliable news media would report it too.
- Does it want something from me? Money, details, quick sharing? Then be on your guard. The police advise checking a request like that another way – for example through an official contact.
Some big platforms ask creators to label realistic videos made or changed with AI, and add a label to them. And since August 2026, the EU's Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) has required companies, authorities and people who use AI in their work to label deepfakes. But scammers won't do that. So a missing label proves nothing.
Find out more in the Manipulation atlas: Deepfake and Fake proof.
✔When it's about your photo or video
Editing someone's photo or video and passing it around is serious, not a joke. If it happens to you or someone you know:
- Don't send it on.
- Tell an adult you trust – your parents or someone at school, such as your form tutor.
- Call a child helpline: 116 111. In most EU countries the call is free. Some helplines also have a chat on their website.
It isn't your fault. And you don't have to deal with it on your own.
Game: What's meant to catch you out? · Message 1 of 3
Read the message and tap the parts that are meant to convince you or hurry you up. One of the messages is honest.
Class 8B group chat, Tuesday evening
Guys, no school tomorrow!!! 🎉 I heard it from my friend's brother – her mum teaches at our school. Here's a screenshot from the school app, so it's definitely true. Send it to everyone so nobody gets up for nothing!
Marked: 0 · After the discussion, click the places the class agrees on. Then show the analysis.
Game: What's meant to catch you out? · Message 2 of 3
Read the message and tap the parts that are meant to convince you or hurry you up. One of the messages is honest.
Video on a social network from an account you don't know
🎁 Streamer Wes Wavelet is celebrating 2 million followers and giving away money! Watch the video – he says it himself. Send €5 to verify and you'll get €50 within the hour.
Marked: 0 · After the discussion, click the places the class agrees on. Then show the analysis.
Game: What's meant to catch you out? · Message 3 of 3
Read the message and tap the parts that are meant to convince you or hurry you up. One of the messages is honest.
Message from the class teacher in the school app, Tuesday evening
Dear class, an image saying there's no school tomorrow is going round the group chats. It has been edited – we have lessons as normal tomorrow. I'm writing to you directly here in the school app. You'll always find days off on the school website under News, too. If you're not sure, ask me. Jana Holub, class teacher
Marked: 0 · After the discussion, click the places the class agrees on. Then show the analysis.
Quiz: Real or edited? · Question 1 of 3
A classmate sends you a screenshot of a message someone in your class supposedly wrote. What's true?
Click the answer the class decides on. Then show the right one.
Quiz: Real or edited? · Question 2 of 3
On a social network you see a video in which a famous singer says something shocking. What do you do first?
Click the answer the class decides on. Then show the right one.
Quiz: Real or edited? · Question 3 of 3
A video of a famous footballer has no “made with AI” label. Does that mean it's real?
Click the answer the class decides on. Then show the right one.
What to remember
- ◆A screenshot isn't proof – it's just a picture. Look for the original.
- ◆With a video, ask: Who posted it? Is anyone else reporting it?
- ◆Don't rely on glitches in the video – deepfakes keep getting better.
- ◆Does a video want money, your details or quick sharing? Be on your guard.
- ◆Misusing someone's photo or video is serious: don't send it on, and tell an adult. Child helpline: 116 111.
💬Let's talk
- 1Have you ever been fooled by an edited picture or video? How did it turn out to be fake in the end?
- 2Where do you find official messages from school – and how do you check them when someone sends you just a picture?
- 3Who could you turn to if an edited photo of someone you know was going round?
Tip for the teacher
Tell your child in advance that they can come to you and that you won't punish them for it. The Czech police point out that children are often afraid to confide in their parents because they fear punishment or losing their phone or internet. If a photo or video has been misused, the helpline of your country's Safer Internet Centre can advise you – you'll find it on Better Internet for Kids (better-internet-for-kids.europa.eu).
✓ Mission complete!
At home, children can play it again – with their parents, for example. Free and without an account.
thinkcritical.eu/