Junior Detectives
Emma, Linh and Leo from Linden Street solve six cases from everyday childhood with Cookie the dog: an argument about the best game, a YouTuber with a new toy, a photo of snow in June, advice about a hedgehog, a ‘prize’ in a game chat and a chain message. Your child learns to tell fact from opinion, to spot an ad, an edited photo and an unreliable source, what to keep to themselves – and that a scary message is something to take to an adult they trust. Each mission takes 5–6 minutes and has a short story, a ‘spot the trick’ game, a quiz or a sorting game, and questions to talk about at the end. It works best when your child goes through it with you – younger children need help with reading, older ones can do the missions alone and talk about the questions with you afterwards. The missions are free, with no sign-up and no ads: only your browser remembers progress, and we store nothing about your child. After the last mission, your child can print a Junior Detective diploma. Teachers can show any mission in class or set it as homework.
After the last mission, your child can print a diploma with their name. The name stays on this device only.
No account. Only this browser remembers which missions are done.
Missions
- Fact or opinion?Find out what can be checked and what someone just thinks.6 min
- Ad or advice?Find out when a YouTuber is giving advice and when it’s an ad.6 min
- Photos can lieFind out how a photo can lie and how to catch it out.6 min
- Who wrote it?Learn the three questions a detective asks about every message.6 min
- What not to shareFind out what to keep to yourself and who to tell about a strange message.6 min
- Chain messages and scary challengesFind out why you don’t have to forward a chain message – and who to tell.6 min
For parents: do it together
Sit down with your child for a mission – each takes about 6 minutes. Every mission ends with questions to talk about and one tip for you.
- Your child needs no account and no email address. We store nothing about them.
- No ads, no points, no leaderboards and no countdowns.
- Your child writes their name on the diploma – it stays on your device only.
If your child confides in you, listen and don't blame them. Children can call the child helpline 116 111, free in most EU countries.
For teachers
You can show the missions to your whole class for free and then set them as homework. Children need no account.
Show it in class
Large text and games for the whole class. Arrow keys or a presenter remote, F = full screen, Esc = exit.
- Fact or opinion?Show in class – mission 1: Fact or opinion?
- Ad or advice?Show in class – mission 2: Ad or advice?
- Photos can lieShow in class – mission 3: Photos can lie
- Who wrote it?Show in class – mission 4: Who wrote it?
- What not to shareShow in class – mission 5: What not to share
- Chain messages and scary challengesShow in class – mission 6: Chain messages and scary challenges
Set as homework
Send parents the link or show the QR code. The missions work at home without an account, on phones too.
Class kit€15.90
A 45-minute lesson for every mission: lesson plan, worksheet with answer key, links to media literacy learning goals, homework variants, advice for when a child confides in you, and diplomas for the whole class.
Want to go deeper? Course for teachers: Media Literacy for Teachers: Ready-to-Teach Lessons (€40.00)
About this course
- Author
- Bc. Pavel Cinkeis, MBA, MPA (with thematic specialists)
- Updated
- Sources
- Child Helpline International: 116 111 EU (opens in a new window)
- Better Internet for Kids: Safer Internet Centre network (opens in a new window)
- Google: Verify AI-generated images, videos, and audio (opens in a new window)
- Hedgehog Street: What should we be feeding hedgehogs? (opens in a new window)
- Childnet: Get SMART (opens in a new window)
- European Commission: Influencer Legal Hub (opens in a new window)