Given constant online access to information, critical news literacy, or the ability to access and critically evaluate the news, is essential for adolescents to learn about the world and obtain civic knowledge to participate as national and global citizens. Although there has been much research focusing on how youths critically read and produce media, less attention has been paid to the issue of access as an essential element of news literacy. Drawing on survey data (N = 5732) and focus group discussions (N = 67) with Singapore adolescents aged 13–17 years old, this study examines (1) whether adolescents access the news and if so, via what technologies, and (2) the factors that influence their news access. Findings show that adolescents prefer to read news online and that older adolescents (aged 15–17 years old) read more than younger adolescents (aged 13–14 years old). Factors shaping access to news include technological (portability, personalization, curation, and notifications), social (families, peers, and schools as sponsors), and personal factors (active seeking of news vs. incidental news exposure). Policymakers, scholars, and educators should consider the physical, social, and curatorial dimensions of news reading to implement policies and design practices to encourage news access and exposure. Educators can foster adolescents' motivation to read news by engaging them with news of interest to them, creating opportunities for them to receive the news through their smartphones and other devices, and developing their civic knowledge base.

中文翻译：

---

“因为我一直带着手机”：设备访问在培养新加坡青少年批判性新闻素养中的作用

鉴于持续在线访问信息，批判性新闻素养，或访问和批判性评估新闻的能力，对于青少年了解世界和获得公民知识以作为国家和全球公民参与至关重要。尽管有很多研究关注青年人如何批判性地阅读和制作媒体，但很少有人关注将获取问题作为新闻素养的基本要素。利用调查数据 ( N  = 5732) 和焦点小组讨论 ( N = 67）针对 13-17 岁的新加坡青少年，本研究调查（1）青少年是否接触新闻，如果接触，通过什么技术，以及（2）影响他们接触新闻的因素。调查结果表明，青少年更喜欢在线阅读新闻，年龄较大的青少年（15-17 岁）比年轻的青少年（13-14 岁）阅读更多。影响新闻访问的因素包括技术（便携性、个性化、策划和通知）、社会（家庭、同龄人和学校作为赞助商）和个人因素（主动寻求新闻与偶然接触新闻）。政策制定者、学者和教育工作者应考虑物理、社会和策展实施政策和设计实践以鼓励新闻访问和曝光的新闻阅读维度。教育工作者可以通过让青少年接触他们感兴趣的新闻、为他们创造通过智能手机和其他设备接收新闻的机会以及发展他们的公民知识库来培养他们阅读新闻的动机。