Pedro and Rita found it difficult to establish relationships and communicate directly with their peers and took refuge in social networks to establish friendships.
Pedro, a 14-year-old teenager, was betrayed by his ex-girlfriend. Later, he meets Rita online, who stays by his side to give him security and support. Pedro has always found it difficult to trust people, which got worse after his last relationship. This way he feels more comfortable establishing relationships virtually, because he can ‘be himself’. He has been using social media since he was 12 years old and, for this purpose, he created fake profiles, regarding his age. All the other information was true. Rita, who is also 14 years old, is very insecure and has low self-esteem. She has always felt criticised for her appearance and weight, even by her own family and closest friends. Subtle comments at the table while she is eating, or comments about her need to go to the gym, are very frequent and make her extremely sad. She also takes refuge on social networks, where her profile is an avatar of how she would like to look, and where she feels most comfortable.
Competences addressed
| Knowledge | Skills | Attitudes |
| Factual knowledge that social networks can be a problem for your digital privacy. | Understanding that security is the key in this virtual world. | Awareness of the risks of sharing location and other issues can be a serious privacy concern. |
| Factual knowledge that maintaining privacy in the digital age is extremely difficult. | Applying for more attention and caution in virtual environments | Willingness to adopt a more conscious and responsible approach to the shared information. |
| Practical Knowledge that social networks have become a virtual diary | Adopting a more conscious and responsible approach to the information shared. | Willingness to learn how to be safer on social networks and avoid some of the most common online dangers. |