IB Digital Society 4.7C Families and Relationships Key Definitions

A chatbot, built on AI, designed to act as a friend, confidant, or romantic partner that remembers a user and is always available. It can offer comfort and reduce loneliness, but only simulates care and can foster dependence or expose vulnerable users to harm.

Using apps and websites to meet potential partners, with algorithms suggesting and ranking matches from a large pool. It widens who a person can meet beyond their own circle, but can gamify attention, encourage superficial judgement, and raise safety concerns.

The individuals and groups affected by digital systems, including users, developers, regulators, and those excluded from access. Different people and communities often make competing claims.

Parents or carers sharing photos and information about their children online. It connects family and friends, but builds a child's digital footprint before they can consent, and the content can be copied, misused, or follow the child for life.

The systematic monitoring of people's behaviour, often through digital data, by a state or company, whether or not those being watched are aware of it.

Values are the things a person or group holds to be important, and ethics are the systems of reasoning used to decide what is right, fair, or just. Together they guide how people judge and act.