Can your child tell
when they're being
fibbed to?
AssumeZero is a mobile game that teaches children aged 8–16 to question what they read, spot manipulation, and think critically — before the real world demands it of them.
AssumeZero, c.1958
Entirely trustworthy.
Definitely.
"The information environment children are growing up in is unlike anything that came before it. The tools we give them to navigate it are PDF printouts from 2009."
AI-generated content is now indistinguishable from real photography, video, and writing. Social feeds are engineered to trigger emotional responses before rational ones. The average child encounters hundreds of information claims every day before they've finished breakfast.
The current school response — well-meaning PDFs, charity worksheets, occasional PSHE lessons — was built for a different world. It assumes children have time to deliberate, access to experts, and the motivation to engage with material that looks like homework. They don't.
AssumeZero is built on a different premise: teach critical thinking through a mechanic children will voluntarily play, on a device they already have, in the time they already spend on it.
Two-thirds of UK teenagers say they worry about online misinformation — but teachers report struggling to support them. (The i Paper, 2025)
Research consistently shows that inoculation — exposure to weakened forms of manipulation before encountering the real thing — is more effective at building misinformation resilience than correction after the fact. Little Fibbing is inoculation, delivered as a game.
Ref: Lewandowsky & van der Linden, 2021 · Psychological Science in the Public Interest
Two worlds. One mechanic.
You're a news runner in AssumeZero — a cosy 1950s English village where Mayor Grinwell's word is law and the Gazette prints only the finest truths.
Headlines from the AssumeZero Gazette appear as obstacles on your route. Some are true. Some are exaggerated. Some are complete fabrications.
LIKELY or UNLIKELY? Or CAN'T TELL — always a valid answer. The lane you choose IS the lesson. No right answer without a reason.
A quality gap wide enough to drive a bus through.
The dominant format for digital literacy education in UK primary and secondary schools is the PDF. Often hand-designed, rarely updated, and distributed via school apps where they are opened once and forgotten.
AssumeZero is not competing with Duolingo. It's competing with a PDF about the perils of TikTok, illustrated in clip art, sent home on ClassDojo on a Tuesday.
The bar is low. The opportunity is significant. And the Online Safety Act has created statutory pull toward exactly this kind of provision — without anyone yet delivering something children will actually use.
○ Charity worksheets & PDFs (free)
○ PSHE lesson plans (static, dated)
○ Oak National / BBC Bitesize
○ Think U Know (CEOP) — better, still web-only
○ No engaging game mechanic anywhere in category
✓ Game mechanic, not worksheet
✓ Voluntary engagement on existing devices
✓ School-endorsed, home-played via ClassDojo
✓ KS2 & KS3 curriculum-aligned
✓ Uncertainty-first — no false certainty
KS3+: Citizenship · Media Studies · English Language · Computing · Online Safety
Two worlds. One lesson.
The warm AssumeZero aesthetic and the sharp AssumeZero digital identity aren't two visual styles — they're the same mechanic expressed in two registers. Players feel the shift before they understand it.
Fibbing
AssumeZero world
Lane mechanic, Act I
AssumeZero breaks through
> QUESTION EVERYTHING.
> START FROM ZERO.
Where we are. What's next.
Three clear asks. No fluff.
Are you a KS2 or KS3 teacher, PSHE lead, or headteacher? I'm looking for listening conversations — 30 minutes, no commitment — and 1–2 schools willing to endorse a pilot via ClassDojo.
GET IN TOUCH →The Visual Bible is complete. I need a children's illustrator for character sprite sheets — specifically the News Runner (4 states, 8-frame run loop). Full brief and style references available immediately.
SEE THE BRIEF →Pre-seed. Looking for individuals or small funds who understand the edtech and consumer opportunity in media literacy for children. The market gap is real and documented. Happy to share research.
LET'S TALK →What a pilot actually looks like.
Arcturus Digital Consulting
I'm David, a product manager and app developer based in the UK. Arcturus Digital Consulting is where I build products that sit at the intersection of technology and everyday life.
AssumeZero grew out of a question I couldn't stop asking: if the information environment is genuinely dangerous for children, why does every educational response to it look like it was made on a Sunday afternoon with a printer?
My son Felix, 9, is my first tester, harshest critic, and Chief Testing Officer. He has access to other 9-year-olds. This is considered an asset.
Background in digital product, analytics, and mobile development. Previous work includes Sprocket (calm admin support for anxious users) and STEa.
AssumeZero is the most ambitious thing I've attempted. I think the timing is right.