Prototype in development · Prepared for Lider European 2026
TRUST // NO TRUST logo: the words Trust and No Trust on a steel shield with a blue double slash

TRUST // NO TRUST: The Digital Resilience Lab for Teens

Online safety & cybersecurity for teenagers

How easy are you to manipulate online?

Can you recognise phishing, scams, manipulation, grooming, cyberbullying and AI-generated content before they fool you? Trust//No Trust is an interactive platform where teenagers learn online safety by making decisions, investigating realistic cases and discovering how manipulation works.

Explore the six modules For schools & teachers
Why it matters

My generation lives online.
That is exactly where we get played.

Teenagers are told the rules: do not click, do not share, do not trust strangers. But manipulation rarely looks like a stranger. It looks like a friend, a prize, a voice we know or a message that cannot wait. What is missing is practice: recognising the trick in the moment, knowing what to do next, and being able to show that a school is actually getting safer.

2 in 5

children in Romania say they have been insulted or sent hurtful messages online.

Source: Save the Children Romania (Salvați Copiii), study published in 2025.
48.3%

of children spend more than six hours a day in the digital environment.

Source: Save the Children Romania (Salvați Copiii), study published in 2025.
45,245

reports of online child sexual abuse material and harmful content reached the esc_ABUZ hotline between 1 January and 3 December 2025.

Source: Save the Children Romania (Salvați Copiii), esc_ABUZ reporting line, December 2025.

Three gaps, one platform. Teenagers need to recognise manipulation before it works, to report it to the right people when it happens, and schools need a way to measure whether all of this makes a difference. Trust//No Trust is built around those three gaps.

The platform

Six modules. Zero lectures.

We do not tell you what to believe. We put you in the situation. Every person, conversation, profile and app interface on the platform is fictional, and nothing you do leaves your device.

MODULE 01

SURVIVE

Live seven days online.

You get a fictional identity and a simulated week. The pressure rises day by day, from a harmless new follower to a cloned voice that sounds like your mother asking for money. Your choices build your Digital DNA profile.

About 20 minutesAvailable now
Play SURVIVE
MODULE 02

HUNT

Investigate the case.

A fictional case file full of screenshots, chats and profiles. Find the clues, connect them, name the tactic, choose the right response and then help another character who is about to fall for the same trick.

About 15 minutesAvailable now
Play HUNT
MODULE 03

TRAP

Spot the exact moment.

Read a conversation that starts out completely normal and slowly turns into manipulation. Mark the moment it crosses the line, then follow the same pattern to its most dangerous form, the loverboy method: false love, a dream, isolation, exploitation. It is never the victim's fault.

About 15 minutesAvailable now
Play TRAP
MODULE 04

REAL / FAKE / AI

Classify what you see.

Fifteen images, posts and clips: real, manipulated or generated with AI? Learn the signs that give them away, and why European rules now require deepfakes to be disclosed (Article 50 of the EU AI Act). You never upload your own photos.

About 10 minutesIn development
MODULE 05

HELP

Know exactly what to do.

Choose a situation and get concrete steps and the right contact. Includes a message generator you can send to your parents or grandparents to warn them about voice-clone scams. The platform never sends or stores the message.

About 10 minutesIn development
MODULE 06

GUARDIAN

Protect someone else.

Finish the first five modules and become a Digital Guardian. Invite your class with a code, earn your badge, and help your teacher see an anonymous class score: the Community Digital Resilience Score.

About 5 minutesIn development
How it works

Learn it by living it.

The method is simple: experience first, explanation second. Research on "prebunking" shows that people resist manipulation better once they have seen, in a safe setting, how it is built. Trust//No Trust applies that idea to the risks teenagers actually face.

1

Decide

You face realistic but fictional situations and choose what to do, just as you would on your phone.

2

Understand

After every decision you see the tactic behind the message and the signals you could have noticed.

3

Act

You learn who to call, how to keep the evidence and how to protect a friend or a family member.

Safety by design

Built to protect, never to scare.

Some scenarios touch on difficult situations. That is why every sensitive module follows the same rules, and why the platform works without collecting anything about the person using it.

Everything is fictional

Characters, chats, profiles and app interfaces are invented. No real platform, brand or person is reproduced.

No personal data

No accounts, no names, no photo uploads, no cookies and no tracking. What you do stays in your browser.

"Exit now", always visible

Every sensitive module starts with a short preparation screen and keeps an exit button on screen that leads straight to help.

No blame, no negative scores

Falling for a trap is part of learning. The message is always the same: if it happens in real life, it is not your fault.

Specialist review

Sensitive scenarios will be reviewed by child-protection specialists before the school pilot and adjusted based on their feedback.

Investigate, never attack

Teenagers learn to recognise and stop manipulation. They are never asked to build a scam or play the attacker.

For schools & teachers

From a game to measurable change.

The Community Digital Resilience Score (CDRS) turns the platform into a measurable intervention. Students answer a short anonymous test before the modules, again right after, and a third time four to six weeks later. The school sees one aggregated score from 0 to 100, plus the two areas where it needs the most work.

Eight dimensions, three questions each:

  • Phishing
  • Scams
  • Manipulation
  • Deepfakes & AI
  • Grooming red flags
  • Cyberbullying response
  • Keeping evidence
  • Where to report

No names, no e-mail addresses, no individual results. A class report is shown only when at least ten students have taken part. Teachers can use the platform in form-tutor or social science lessons, free of charge.

Is something happening to you right now?

You are not alone and it is not your fault. Talk to an adult you trust, or call one of these numbers in Romania.

112Emergency, if you are in danger 116 111Child helpline, free (Asociația Telefonul Copilului) 1911DNSC, cyber security incidents

The team

Trust//No Trust is presented by a team of four students from Liceul Româno-Finlandez in Bucharest, coordinated by their teacher.

Liceul Româno-Finlandez logo
Nicholas Carstoiu
Author · concept & development

Created the concept, wrote the scenarios and built the platform. Coordinates the project and the school pilot.

Liceul Româno-Finlandez logo
Team member
Role to be announced

Profile coming soon.

Liceul Româno-Finlandez logo
Team member
Role to be announced

Profile coming soon.

Liceul Româno-Finlandez logo
Team member
Role to be announced

Profile coming soon.

Liceul Româno-Finlandez logo
Prof. Gabriela-Amalia Grigore
Coordinating teacher

Coordinates the team on behalf of Liceul Româno-Finlandez and mentors the project, as she did for The Fake News Factory.

About the author

Who built TRUST // NO TRUST?

Nicholas Carstoiu (Nicholas Cârstoiu), 17, creator of TRUST // NO TRUST, outdoor portrait

Nicholas Carstoiu

17 · Bucharest, Romania

Connect on LinkedIn Follow on Facebook Follow on Instagram nicholas.carstoiu@gmail.com

Hi, I'm Nicholas Carstoiu (in Romanian, Nicholas Cârstoiu). I'm 17, an 11th-grade student at Liceul Româno-Finlandez in Bucharest and a competitive basketball player. Since 2023 I have been a member of UNICEF Romania's Children's Board, since 2024 of the Children's Advisory Council of Bucharest City Hall, and in 2026 I became Ambassador for Romania of United Citizens of Europe.

Online safety is not a new subject for me. I created Smart Online = Safe Offline, a cybersecurity programme for teenagers, and The Fake News Factory, a media-literacy project that won two awards in 2026. Both taught me the same thing: knowing the rules is not enough. You have to practise the decision before you need it for real.

"My generation doesn't have to be the easiest to fool online. We can be the hardest."

Trust//No Trust is my attempt to make that happen: a free tool that any teenager can use, any teacher can bring into class and any school can use to see whether it is becoming safer.

  • UNICEF Romania Children's Board
  • Children's Advisory Council, Bucharest City Hall
  • Ambassador for Romania, United Citizens of Europe
  • First Prize, Young Volunteer Leader 2026
Nicholas Carstoiu's official website
The same family

One mission, three projects.

Smart Online = Safe Offline is the educational programme. The Fake News Factory teaches how disinformation is made. Trust//No Trust is the interactive platform where teenagers practise the decisions that keep them safe.

Educational programme

Smart Online = Safe Offline

A cybersecurity programme for teenagers, built around manipulation, trust and the decisions we make online.

Discover the programme → Media literacy · awarded 2026

The Fake News Factory

An interactive experience where you assemble a fake story with your own hands, so you can recognise the next one.

Visit The Fake News Factory → Official website

Nicholas Carstoiu

Projects, articles, press and civic work of Nicholas Carstoiu, youth leader from Bucharest.

Go to the website →

Prepared for the "Lider European 2026" Competition

This platform has been prepared by a team of four students from Liceul Româno-Finlandez, Bucharest, for entry into Lider European 2026, the national competition organised by the European Commission Representation in Romania in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research, under this year's theme "Civic engagement - Communities that matter". What you see here is a demonstration prototype: the pilot in schools will begin only after the competition.

Trust//No Trust is an independent student project. It is not produced, funded or endorsed by the European Commission, the Ministry of Education and Research or the competition organisers; their names appear only to describe the context in which the project was created.

How to use it

A two-minute guide for students, teachers and anyone visiting for the first time.

1. What this is, and why it exists

TRUST // NO TRUST is a free platform where teenagers practise recognising online manipulation: fake accounts, phishing, scams, grooming, cyberbullying and AI-generated content. Instead of reading rules, you live short, fictional situations and decide what to do. Knowing the rules is not enough; practising the decision is what protects you when it happens for real.

2. The order of the modules

Start with SURVIVE, then continue with HUNT, TRAP, REAL / FAKE / AI and HELP. When you have finished the first five, GUARDIAN shows you how to bring your class in. Modules marked "In development" will appear here as soon as they are ready.

3. How SURVIVE works, step by step

  1. Open SURVIVE from the "Modules" section and press Start SURVIVE.
  2. Read the short preparation screen. It tells you what the scenario contains and where to get help. Press I'm ready.
  3. Meet Alex, the fictional 15-year-old whose week you will live, and press Start the week.
  4. Each day, a message appears on the phone on the left (or at the top, on a mobile). On Friday there is a voice message: press ▶ to hear it. The voice is computer-generated and clearly labelled as a simulation, and the transcript is always there.
  5. Choose one of the four answers. There is no time limit and the order of the answers changes every time you play.
  6. Read what happened, the tactic behind the message, the signals you could have noticed and what to do in real life. Then press Next day.
  7. The bar at the top follows you all week: the seven circles show your progress (blue for a safe choice, yellow for a risky one), the Trust Meter shows whether you lean towards trusting too easily or not trusting at all, and the Score box shows your points so far.

4. How HUNT works, step by step

  1. Open HUNT from the "Modules" section and press Open the case. Read the preparation screen and press Open the case file.
  2. Read Ana's messages: her friend Radu has deleted all his accounts. Press Take the case.
  3. Level 1, Spot the clues: twelve cards from Radu's phone. Tap the six that belong to the case (tap again to unmark), then press Submit evidence. Each card turns green or red and explains why.
  4. Level 2, Connect the dots: tap the five events in the order they happened. Changed your mind? Tap an event to undo from that point, or press Start again. Then Check the timeline.
  5. Level 3, Name the tactic: for each of the four messages from the "scout", choose the tactic (flattery, isolation, urgency, intimidation or normal), then Check my answers.
  6. Levels 4 and 5: choose what Radu should have done, then which message to send to Matei, a 13-year-old who is about to fall for the same trick.
  7. The bar at the top shows the five levels (blue when you scored well, yellow when you missed some points), your score and the Exit now button.

5. How TRAP works, step by step

  1. Open TRAP from the "Modules" section and press Start TRAP. Read the preparation screen and press I'm ready.
  2. Read Maya's messages: she feels "weird" about a new online friend. Press Read the conversation.
  3. Step 1, Find the moment: tap the first message where the conversation stops being a normal friendship, then Confirm this moment. You can change your choice until you confirm. You then see the turning point and the whole pattern explained.
  4. Step 2, Spot the warning signs: tap every statement that is a warning sign, then Check my answers.
  5. Step 3: choose what Maya should do now.
  6. Step 4, The dream: the loverboy method: follow Elena, 16, and tap the six stages of her story in the order they happen, from love bombing to exploitation, then Check the order. Start again clears your choice.
  7. Step 5, Protect a friend: choose what you would do when a friend tells you a story like Elena's.
  8. On the results screen you will also find the official figures on human trafficking in Romania, with their sources, and the button What every girl (and boy) should know, which opens an information window: how the method starts, what is promised, the warning signs and the free helplines.

6. How to read your results

SURVIVE gives you two results. The first is your Resilience score, from 0 to 100: every day is worth 14 or 15 points, the safest reaction earns them all and partly safe reactions earn part of them. The second is your Digital DNA, one of five profiles: THE DETECTOR, THE PANIC CLICKER, THE EMPATH, THE SKEPTIC or THE SOCIAL TRUSTER. It describes your dominant pattern this week, not who you are. You also see how many traps you avoided, one concrete tip and a day-by-day recap.

HUNT gives you a Detective score out of 100 (the five levels are worth 30, 20, 20, 16 and 14 points) and a rank: ROOKIE DETECTIVE, INVESTIGATOR, SENIOR DETECTIVE or CHIEF INSPECTOR. You also get the case report, showing how the manipulation unfolded step by step, and what Radu really needed.

TRAP gives you an Early-warning score out of 100 (the five steps are worth 30, 20, 15, 20 and 15 points) and a level: FIRST LOOK, GETTING THERE, SHARP EYE or EARLY WARNING, plus the full manipulation pattern, step by step, the official ANITP figures and the loverboy information window.

In every module everyone plays exactly the same content, so scores can be compared: challenge your friends. Your best score is remembered in your browser, a risky choice never takes away points you already have, and you can copy or share your result.

7. If something feels too close

The red Exit now button stays visible during every sensitive module and takes you straight to the help numbers. If something like this has happened to you in real life, you are not alone and it is not your fault: call 116 111 for free or talk to an adult you trust. In an emergency, call 112.

8. For teachers

SURVIVE, HUNT and TRAP each fit into a single form-tutor or social science lesson, and HUNT works especially well in small groups of three or four "detectives". Students can play on their own phones, or the class can play together on a projector and vote on each answer, which works well for discussion. No accounts, no registration and no student data are needed. The anonymous class measurement (CDRS) will be added before the school pilot, and this guide will explain it step by step.

9. Your privacy

Nothing you choose is sent anywhere. The only things kept are your language and your last result, saved in your own browser. Details in the Privacy Policy.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 8 October 2026

1. Who we are

TRUST // NO TRUST is a free, non-commercial educational project created by Nicholas Carstoiu (Bucharest, Romania) and published at www.looksmart.ro/trustnotrust/. For any question about this policy or your data, write to nicholas.carstoiu@gmail.com.

2. What we do not collect

The platform has no accounts, no registration and no forms that send information to us. We do not use cookies, analytics, advertising, social-media pixels or any other tracking technology. Fonts and images are served from our own server, so no third party learns that you visited. Nothing you type or choose in the exercises is sent to us. You are never asked to upload photos, voice recordings or videos.

3. What stays on your own device

The site uses your browser's local storage only for what is strictly necessary for the service you asked for: the language you choose and, in the interactive modules, your progress and your anonymous results. This information never leaves your device and we cannot see it. You can delete it at any time by clearing your browser data for this site. No consent is required for this strictly necessary storage under the ePrivacy rules (Directive 2002/58/EC and Romanian Law no. 506/2004).

4. Technical server logs

Like any website, the server that hosts looksmart.ro may automatically record technical data when a page is requested (such as IP address, date and time, the page requested and browser type). These logs are used only to keep the site secure and working, are not combined with other data and are kept for a limited period set by the hosting provider. Legal basis: legitimate interest in the security of the service (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR).

5. If you write to us

If you e-mail us, we use your address and your message only to reply. We keep the conversation only as long as needed to answer it, and no longer than 12 months. Legal basis: our legitimate interest in answering you (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). Please do not send sensitive personal information. If you are in danger or something is happening to you right now, do not wait for an e-mail reply: call 112 or the free child helpline 116 111.

6. School measurement (CDRS)

The Community Digital Resilience Score is designed to work without names, e-mail addresses or individual results: classes use a code, and only aggregated scores from at least ten students are shown. Before this feature is activated, this policy will be updated to describe it precisely.

7. Children and teenagers

The platform is designed for teenagers and works without personal data, so no parental consent is needed to use it. If you are under 16 and want to contact us, we recommend doing so together with a parent or a teacher.

8. Links to other websites

We link to institutions and to other projects. Those websites have their own privacy policies, for which we are not responsible.

9. Your rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 you have the right to access, rectify and erase your data, to restrict or object to its processing and to data portability. Write to the address above and we will answer within one month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Romanian supervisory authority, ANSPDCP (www.dataprotection.ro).

10. Changes

We may update this policy as the platform develops. The date at the top always shows the latest version.

Terms & Conditions

Last updated: 8 October 2026

1. Acceptance

By using www.looksmart.ro/trustnotrust/ (the "platform") you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

2. What the platform is

TRUST // NO TRUST is a free, non-commercial educational platform created by Nicholas Carstoiu to help teenagers recognise and respond to online manipulation. It is a prototype in development: modules, content and features may change, be added or be withdrawn at any time.

3. Everything is fictional

All characters, conversations, profiles, messages, brands and app interfaces in the scenarios are invented for teaching purposes. Any resemblance to real persons, accounts or events is coincidental. No real platform or company is reproduced, evaluated or endorsed.

4. Not professional advice, not an emergency service

The platform provides general educational information. It does not replace advice from a psychologist, lawyer, police officer, doctor or other specialist, and it is not monitored in real time. If you or someone else is in danger, call 112. For free help for children and teenagers, call 116 111. Cyber security incidents can be reported to DNSC at 1911.

5. Acceptable use

You may use the platform for personal learning and teachers may use it in class. You must not try to disrupt, overload or gain unauthorised access to the platform or its server, copy its content automatically (scraping), or use what you learn here to deceive, harass or harm anyone. The scenarios exist to help people recognise manipulation, never to carry it out.

6. Accuracy

We take care to keep the information correct and up to date, including the contact details of institutions. Phone numbers, procedures and laws can change, so always check the official websites of the institutions concerned.

7. External links

Links to other websites are provided for convenience. We do not control their content and are not responsible for it.

8. Liability

The platform is offered free of charge and "as is". To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect damages or for losses arising from the use of, or the inability to use, the platform or the information on it. Nothing in these terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

9. Intellectual property

All content on the platform is protected by copyright. The rules for using it are set out in the Copyright notice.

10. Applicable law

These terms are governed by Romanian law. Any dispute will be settled by the competent courts in Bucharest, without prejudice to any mandatory rights you have as a consumer.

11. Changes and contact

We may update these terms; the date above shows the latest version. Questions: nicholas.carstoiu@gmail.com.

Last updated: 8 October 2026

© 2026 Nicholas Carstoiu (Nicholas Cârstoiu). All rights reserved.

1. What is protected

The name and logo TRUST // NO TRUST, all texts, scenarios, characters, dialogues, case files, questions and answers, the Digital DNA profiles, the Community Digital Resilience Score (CDRS) questionnaires and scoring method as written, the graphics, illustrations, interface design, source code, and the selection and arrangement of all content are the original work of Nicholas Carstoiu. They are protected by Romanian Law no. 8/1996 on copyright and related rights, by European Union law and by international treaties, including the Berne Convention. Where the platform contains a database, it is also protected by the sui generis right of the database maker.

2. What you may do without asking

3. What requires prior written permission

Without the author's prior written consent you may not copy, reproduce, download for redistribution, republish, translate, adapt, modify or create derivative works from any part of the platform; host it on another server, mirror it or display it inside another website (framing); include it in paid courses, training, products or services; use the name or logo TRUST // NO TRUST; or remove or alter copyright notices. Permission requests: nicholas.carstoiu@gmail.com.

4. Text and data mining and AI training

The author expressly reserves the rights of reproduction and extraction for text and data mining, including the use of any content of this platform to train, fine-tune or evaluate artificial intelligence systems, in accordance with Article 4(3) of Directive (EU) 2019/790 and the Romanian law that transposes it. This reservation is also expressed in machine-readable form on every page.

5. Third-party names and materials

The names of institutions and organisations mentioned on the platform (for example Salvați Copiii, Asociația Telefonul Copilului, DNSC, the European Commission or the Lider European competition) belong to their respective owners and are used only to refer to them. Their mention does not imply any partnership, endorsement or affiliation unless this is expressly stated. Any brand names shown inside the scenarios are invented. The Inter and Poppins typefaces are used under the SIL Open Font License 1.1. The flag of the European Union is shown only to indicate the European context of the competition.

6. Future open materials

Some teaching materials may be released later under an open licence. In that case, the licence will be stated explicitly on those specific materials; everything else remains under the terms of this notice.

7. Infringements

Unauthorised use of protected content may give rise to civil and criminal liability under Law no. 8/1996. If you believe that content on this platform infringes your rights, or you notice that our content is being used without permission, please write to nicholas.carstoiu@gmail.com.