What can the internet do?: Chinese and American children’s attitudes and beliefs about the internet

• Published in: Cognitive development Vol. 66; p. 101338
• Main Authors: Girouard-Hallam, Lauren N., Tong, Yu, Wang, Fuxing, Danovitch, Judith H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Attitudes and beliefs; Child cognition; Children; Factor analysis; Internet; Factor analysis; Internet; Children; Child cognition; Attitudes and beliefs
• ISSN: 0885-2014; 1879-226X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cogdev.2023.101338

Given children’s increasing exposure to and use of the internet for educational and entertainment purposes, it is important to understand how children view this expansive digital learning tool. Using the newly developed Children’s Internet Attitudes Survey, 6–10-year-old Chinese and American children (n = 856) indicated their agreement with statements about the internet’s accuracy, the kinds of information available on the internet, their preference for the internet as opposed to a print source, and their comfort using the internet. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses validated three latent variables, each representing themes in children’s internet attitudes and beliefs. The final 8 item measure was then used to examine the impact of developmental, cultural, and experiential differences on children’s internet attitudes and beliefs. Age, country, and types of experiences on the internet were all related to children’s beliefs about internet accuracy and scope, and their attitudes about using the internet independently. •The Children’s Internet Attitudes Scale (CIAS) is a new validated measure of children’s internet attitudes.•The CIAS captures children's attitudes about the internet’s scope and accuracy as well as comfort with using the internet.•Children’s age, nationality, and prior experience using the internet predict their scores on the CIAS.