“Do you Like Using the Internet?”: A new Measure of Children’s Internet Attitudes and Beliefs

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Children are more connected to the internet than ever before. By age 7, they can conduct an internet search on their own (Duarte-Torres, Weber, & Hiemstra, 2014) and they trust in information obtained from the internet (Wang, Tong, & Danovitch, 2019). As more children gain access to the internet in their homes and classrooms, it is important to understand how children view the internet in terms of its content and capacities. The current study explores developmental differences in attitudes and beliefs about the internet among elementary school age children using a newly developed measure. Children ages 6-10 (N=102; Mage = 8.29) indicated their experience with the internet by indicating if they had engaged in each of 6 different types of internet-based activities, such as watching a video or finding the answer to a question. Children then indicated their degree of agreement with each of 16 statements using a four-point scale. These statements spanned across 6 categories: 1) permission to use the internet on their own, 2) the accuracy of information available on the internet, 3) the scope of information available on the internet, 4) the importance of learning how to use the internet, 5) preference for the internet over other sources, and 6) self-perceived competency when using the internet. Children’s exact age significantly correlated with the number of internet-based activities they had experienced, r = .392, p < .001. Age also significantly positively correlated with children’s perceived competency with using the internet, their preference for the internet over other sources, and their beliefs about the scope of information available (see Table 1). Age negatively correlated with children’s perception of the internet’s accuracy. Older children believed that there was a broader scope of information available on the internet than younger children, and they were less likely to agree that all the information on the internet is accurate. Controlling for age, children’s experience with the internet positively correlated with perceived scope of the internet and their preference for using the internet over other sources (see Table 1). Note that data collection for this project is ongoing due to COVID-19 delays. Data will be collected from 160 participants to allow for an exploratory factor analysis of the internet attitudes and beliefs measure and for regression analyses.
Our findings suggest that younger children are less discriminating about the accuracy of information available to them on the internet than older children, and they have a more limited view of the scope of the information available online. Younger children may therefore be surprised when they find certain types of information on the internet, and be more inclined to believe this information, suggesting that they would benefit from parent and educator guidance in evaluating information on the internet. In addition, by developing and validating a measure of children’s attitudes and beliefs about the internet, this project will provide a basis for future studies examining sources of individual differences in children’s internet use, experience, and attitudes.

Authors

• Lauren Girouard, University of Louisville
  Presenting Author

• Judith H Danovitch, University of Louisville
  Non-Presenting Author