Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Disinformation, fake news, misinformation are all words that have recently made it into the vernacular. The rise of organizations or cells distributing disinformation, the prevalence of health websites containing misinformation, and the potential misuse of generative AI all combine to threaten what we know about the world. Children are not immune. On one hand, they have an immeasurable amount of information from the internet to social media right at their fingertips; on the other, unreliable information is nestled within. Although children are instructed how to search the internet and how to keep themselves safe while using online media, there are no such programs that help them to decipher the reliable and accurate from the unreliable and misinformed. Together with my research team, we will conduct a systematic program of research into how (and if) children evaluate the sources of information they come across. When confronted with a list from a web search engine, what do children currently use to determine if a website is one they want to visit? Can children recognize markers of credibility? What kinds of cognitive development is needed? Can children edit their memories and knowledge if they later find out that they have unreliable information? These are important questions to ask as these skills contribute to a well functioning society. The results of the research may lead to a credibility training program that can be implemented in schools as soon as children begin formal schooling. It is hoped that the research can help shape the current and next generation of children into critical consumers of information.