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

Abstract

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.