Mission 3 of 6 · 6 min
Photos can lie
Find out how a photo can lie and how to catch it out.
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?
Correct: 0 of 2Read the message with the photo. Tap the sentences that are trying to trick you. But one message is fine.
If you can't see anything suspicious, tap “I see nothing suspicious”.
Round 1 of 2 · Found: 0
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!
The breakdown will appear here once you finish.
Quiz: Photo or trick?
Quiz · 0/31. How can a photo lie?
2. A friend sends a photo of a giant fish. They say they caught it yesterday. What do you do?
3. A picture looks like a photo. The tower clock has 13 numbers and the sign is blurry. What could it be?
Talk together
- Take a close-up photo of a small toy so it looks huge. How does it work?
- Which photo online surprised you most? Could it have been lying?
- When is an edited photo OK?
Tip for adults: 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.
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