When searching the internet, it is especially important to be able to sort the crap from the valid information. Most people who have email have a designated spam folder where they send all those unwanted emails from false creditors, fake job offers, princes in Uganda wanting to send you millions of dollars if you just provide them with you bank account info, etc. So if you sort out the crap emails from the legitimate emails, why not evaluate the websites you visit in the same way. If there is no author or it does not seem legitimate, the website and information is probably no good. If the site tries to make you download something to view the information, the author is most likely trying to infect your computer with a virus. If the web address ends in .org or .edu there is usually a bit more credibility given to those, however do beware as I have seen some pretty bad .edu sites put together by professors or their students. But really I believe that beyond the basics of making sure the website looks legit, you need to double or triple check the information that is being provided. Can you find that information anywhere else? If no other website or book can provide additional validation, I would assume that the information may be false and would discount it.
In terms of age playing a role in the detection of crap, I think that in same cases it may, but not everyone in every age range has the same thought process and same experiences. Some people, no matter the age, are naturally very gullible and easily fall victim and therefore need to be a bit more diligent when evaluating anything on the internet. Other people may have sound judgement and can easily see through falsities and have no problem seeing through the crap. Others may fall somewhere in the middle. Overall generalizations should not be made as not all youth are naive and not all elderly people are computer inept. Even the most tech savvy will fall victim every once in a while.
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