Children’s trust in Google’s ability to answer questions about the past, present, and future

Across two studies, 164 7- to 10-year-old children (80 girls, 84 boys) were asked to evaluate both Google’s and a person’s ability to answer questions about past, present, and future events and to choose which of the two informants would provide the better answer. Google search is a powerful tool for finding the answers to questions, and many children use Google search to learn more about the world around them. Google not only provides access to information about past events or general knowledge information, but it can also provide access to information about current events, i.e., events in progress that may change or develop as time passes, such as breaking news, sports scores, or election results, and predictions about future events. Cross-classified multilevel modeling revealed that all participants had a consistent preference for Google when the target question concerned past events, and that their trust in Google increased with age for questions about current events. Children were more skeptical about both informants’ ability to answer questions that required future prediction, but still expressed a preference for Google in these questions. Finally, children’s justifications for why they chose Google suggested that children turn to the search engine because they believe that it has access to a wide array of information. Children therefore place high levels of trust in Google search, but their trust is nuanced by the kind of information being sought.