BEIJING: China’s growing elderly population is showing signs of internet addiction driven by loneliness and a lack of social engagement, prompting experts to call for greater family support and stronger fraud prevention efforts to protect seniors from online scams.
“My father is crazy about watching live-streaming shows on Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – and tipping female streamers. He starts watching very early in the morning and sometimes stays up late for the shows. He spent about 10,000 yuan (S$1,820) tipping streamers in December,” said 46-year-old resident Wang Qingfeng of Shaoxing in the eastern province of Zhejiang.
Wang said his 70-year-old father moved in with him from a village in neighbouring Anhui province after his mother died in 2023. He said his father’s addiction to online live streams began that same year.
“I kind of understand him, as he has no friends here and his only entertainment is playing on the cellphone,” Wang said.
He added that his father is not the only “internet-addicted senior”, noting that several colleagues have complained that their parents are hooked on buying low-priced health products online and spend hours watching paid mini-dramas on short-video platforms.
Many netizens have also sought help online, saying their parents are indulging in “ridiculously unreasonable” mini-dramas or computer games and spending large sums of money on online purchases.
“My parents are like internet addicts, just like I was in my teenage years,” several netizens joked online.
A report released on Feb 5 by the China Internet Network Information Center showed that as at December 2025, China had about 1.125 billion internet users, with more than 80 per cent of the population having internet access.
Nearly 54 per cent of people aged 60 and above were online during the same period.
“Seniors tend to play less important social roles as they age, either in their families or in the job market, and they may feel a sense of loss. The internet becomes an outlet, offering a place to escape from the real world,” said Ningxia University Xinhua College’s director of psychological health education Wang Wenda.
Many seniors become addicted to live-streaming or online shopping because tipping streamers or purchasing items online gives them a sense of respect and control, he said.
“If a senior’s life is completely occupied by online activities, (if they) cannot maintain a normal daily schedule, or cannot control behaviours such as tipping or online shopping, they may show symptoms of internet addiction,” the director said.
These symptoms may include blindly believing unreliable online information or losing their temper when unable to use their phones for a period of time.
Researcher Yang Xiaoqi at the China Research Center on Ageing in Beijing said loneliness and the strong stimulation provided by the internet are key factors behind seniors’ internet addiction.
As artificial intelligence advances and further blurs the line between real and fake content, experts warned that seniors addicted to the internet may face increased risks of online fraud.
Ningxia University director Wang said: “It is very important to help seniors regain a sense of personal value, whether by taking care of grandchildren, raising a pet or building social relationships in the real world.
“Family members can discuss cellphone usage time with seniors and set payment limits on mobile payment platforms. It is also necessary for the government to promote anti-fraud knowledge among seniors through big data and push notifications to their phones.” - China Daily/ANN
