The Internet has become an important literacy environment, even for children. Therefore, building the foundations for their critical engagement with online information should start when they first enter school. One way to start is to help children build an understanding about the complexities of the Internet environment. The present study aimed at increasing our knowledge about children’s understanding of the Internet as a technical and social environment. It also explored how children perceive the trustworthiness of online information. The participants included 30 children aged 7–9 years. The children were interviewed and the data was analysed using content analysis. We share the results from the following perspectives: 1) children’s understanding of the Internet as a complex environment; 2) children’s perceptions of the benefits and risks of the Internet; and 3) children’s perceptions of the trustworthiness of online information. The implications of developing instruction to educate critical readers are discussed.

中文翻译：

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“它走遍世界”——儿童对互联网的理解

互联网已成为一个重要的识字环境，甚至对儿童来说也是如此。因此，应该从他们第一次进入学校时开始为他们对在线信息的批判性参与奠定基础。一种开始方法是帮助孩子们了解互联网环境的复杂性。本研究旨在增加我们对儿童将互联网作为技术和社会环境的理解的知识。它还探讨了儿童如何看待在线信息的可信度。参与者包括 30 名 7-9 岁的儿童。对孩子们进行了访谈，并使用内容分析对数据进行了分析。我们从以下几个角度分享结果：1）儿童对互联网作为一个复杂环境的理解；2）儿童对互联网的好处和风险的看法；3) 儿童对网络信息可信度的认知。讨论了发展教学以教育批判性读者的意义。