Glossary
Words from the school courses. They are explained for students and families, without extra jargon.
Phishing
Scams
fake email · phishing message
A message that looks like it comes from someone you trust (a bank, a friend, the school) so you hand over a password, a code, or a click. The hook is usually urgency. Pause and check on another channel.
Smishing
Scams
text-message phishing · SMS scam
Phishing that arrives by text or WhatsApp. A short link plus “your account will be locked today” is a signal. Don’t open the link. Open the app or type the address yourself.
Grooming
Getting along
secret pressure · asking for photos
When someone, often an adult, wins a young person’s trust to ask for photos, secrets, or a more private chat. It is not the young person’s fault. Don’t send photos, stop that chat, and tell a trusted adult today.
Digital footprint
Privacy
online trail · what stays posted
The trail left by your posts, photos, comments, and data. Even if you delete a story, someone may have saved it. Before you post, ask whether you are fine with it still being there later.
Deepfake
Artificial intelligence
fake video · AI fake audio
A fake video or audio made with artificial intelligence (AI): it looks like a real person saying or doing something that did not happen. A familiar face is not enough. Look for another source and don’t forward it as a joke.
Cyberbullying
Getting along
online bullying · digital bullying
Hurting, humiliating, or leaving someone out through chats, social apps, or games, and repeating it. It is not “just a joke” if the other person cannot step away. Save a screenshot, don’t answer with more insults, and ask an adult or the school for help.
2FA
Accounts
two-factor authentication · MFA · two-step verification
Two-step verification (also called MFA, multi-factor authentication). Besides the password, the account asks for a second check: a code on your phone or a confirmation. If someone steals the password, that second step blocks the login.
Password
Accounts
passphrase · login secret
The secret that opens an account. It is only yours: don’t share it with friends or send it in a chat. A long phrase you can remember beats a name plus a year. Each important account deserves its own.
Scam
Scams
con · prize trick
A trick to take money, data, or access to an account. Impossible giveaways, “easy jobs”, and prizes that ask for a payment first are classics. If the offer rushes you, stop and check with someone you trust.
Malware
Scams
virus · harmful program
A harmful program that installs when you were not looking for it, sometimes inside a “free” game or a file. It can spy on an account or lock the device. Download apps from the official store and don’t open files from strangers.
AI
Artificial intelligence
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence: programs that build text, images, or answers from lots of examples. They can help you study, and they can also invent facts or imitate a voice. What they say is not automatically true.
Chatbot
Artificial intelligence
chat bot · AI assistant
A program you talk to in a chat. It is not a friend, and it does not truly keep secrets. Don’t tell it your address, your password, or anything you would not post. If it asks for photos or secrecy, stop and ask for help.
FOMO
Games and money
fear of missing out
Fear of missing out. Apps use it with notifications and streaks so you come back right now. You can mute alerts and step away: the group is still there when you return.
Loot box
Games and money
surprise box · paid pack
A surprise box in a game: you pay without knowing what you get. The prize is shown as shiny so you want another. It is not a gift. If the game asks for money to keep going, stop and talk with an adult.
Online betting
Games and money
wagering money online
Putting money, or something of value, on a result you do not control. It is not the same as playing for fun. Betting apps are built so you continue. If you or someone close cannot stop, ask for help without shame.
Misinformation
Scams
fake news · false story
A story or a fact that is not true and gets shared anyway, sometimes on purpose. Lots of likes do not make it true. Check who published it and whether another trusted source says the same thing before you forward it.
Personal data
Privacy
personal information
Details that point to a person: name, photo, school, address, location, phone. They are not “just a detail”. Share them carefully, and with people you already know away from the screen.
App permission
Privacy
camera access · contacts access
What an app asks to use: camera, microphone, contacts, or location. Accepting everything is not required. If a card game asks for your location, you can say no.
Private profile
Privacy
private account
An account where only people you approve can see what you post. It is not a safe: a screenshot can still leave. It reduces who gets in. It does not make every post a good idea.
Trusted adult
Getting along
trusted grown-up
A grown-up you can talk to if something online feels wrong: family, a teacher, or someone at school. Telling them is not “snitching”. It is asking for help to choose the next step.
Impersonation
Scams
pretending to be someone · cloned account
When someone uses another person’s name or photo to trick you. A new account with your friend’s face can be fake. Message them on a chat you already used, and don’t send codes.
Sextortion
Getting along
threat with a photo
A threat to publish an intimate photo or chat unless you pay or send more. Don’t pay and don’t keep the conversation going. Save the message and tell a trusted adult today: there is a way out, and you are not alone.
Doxxing
Privacy
posting private details
Posting someone’s private details (address, phone, school) to expose them. Even if you see it in a group, don’t forward it. If it happens to you, tell the school or your family so the content can come down.
Catfish
Scams
fake profile · invented identity
A profile that is not who it claims to be. It may use someone else’s photos and rush a friendship. If they can never do a video call with someone you know nearby, treat that account with doubt.
Suspicious link
Scams
weird link · URL
A web address (the link) that does not match who says they are writing. Read it before you tap: swapped letters or a strange shortener are signals. If you doubt it, don’t go in.
Update
Accounts
software update · patch
Bringing the system or an app up to date. Many updates close holes other people use to get in. Do them from the device’s official notice, not from a link that arrived in a message.
Algorithm
Artificial intelligence
what ranks the feed
The rule an app uses to decide what to show you first. It is not a person picking you. If something makes you angry and you watch it, the feed will show you more of it. You can unfollow and mute.
Consent
Privacy
asking permission · a real yes
A clear, free, and timely yes. Posting someone else’s photo, forwarding a chat, or using their voice in an AI tool needs that yes. If the person cannot say no calmly, there is no consent.
Cybersecurity
Accounts
digital security
Looking after people, their data, and their accounts online. It is not only a specialist topic. It is pausing, choosing what to share, and asking for help when something feels off.
Evidence
Getting along
screenshot · saved message
What you save to show what happened: a screenshot, a message you don’t delete, the time. It helps you ask the school or home for support. Don’t use it to shame someone in a group.
Peer pressure
Getting along
group pressure
When the group pushes you to do something you don’t want: forward a joke, show a photo, follow a challenge. A real friend accepts a no. You can leave the chat and tell someone if it feels wrong.