When it comes to apps, older people tend to use messenger services. Photo: dpa/Alicia Windzio
Spending too much time in front of a screen is bad for you, right? Or is it?
While countless studies explore the impact of excessive screen time on children and young people – with concerns ranging from loss of focus to lethargy and even depression – far less attention has been paid to how screen use affects older adults.
Could they have better self-regulation and perhaps even benefit from spending time online?
"In research, we still know very little about when social media use can have negative consequences and under what conditions," says social researcher Licia Bobzien from the University of Potsdam near Berlin. In some cases, the effects can even be positive, she notes.
"Like any technological innovation, they offer opportunities and risks," she says about digital platforms. For example, it is easier for many people to keep in touch with their children or grandparents.
"But if a WhatsApp call with grandma leads to visiting her half as often, that's clearly not the intended outcome."
A digital lifeline
A 2024 study conducted in Hong Kong concluded that surfing the internet could contribute to greater well-being among older people.
The research included data from around 87,600 individuals aged 50 and above across 23 countries, including Germany, the United States, Britain, China, Mexico and Brazil.
To track long-term trends, the team led by Qingpeng Zhang of the University of Hong Kong collected information over multiple survey periods, with an average interval of six years.
It turned out that internet use among older people is associated with higher life satisfaction, better health – at least according to their own assessment – and fewer symptoms of depression.
However, in their article in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, researchers pointed out that only the correlation had been proven, not a cause-and-effect relationship.
It is therefore unclear whether internet use is responsible for the positive effects or whether other factors are at play.
The authors defined internet use as sending and receiving emails, shopping, booking travel and searching for information.
One example given is the search for medical advice: independently researching health concerns may increase a sense of control and motivation to seek treatment, while emotional support from others in similar circumstances online can also play a positive role.
Some research shows that online time may be beneficial for older people. Photo: dpa/Fernando Gitierrez-Juarez
A "double-edge sword"?
Nevertheless, the team from Hong Kong speculates that surfing the internet could well be a "double-edged sword" for the mental health of older people.
After all, it has been proven that excessive internet use tends to be detrimental to well-being, for example because offline activities such as exercise, sleep and social contacts in the real world are neglected.
Cyberpsychologist Catarina Katzer shares similar concerns. "The problem is that we are not yet in the process of developing a digital awareness: What is good for me and how much is harmful?"
Katzer also emphasises that this problem is even more pronounced in children and young people, who are less able to set boundaries and assess the consequences.
Younger vs older people
Social researcher Bobzien and her colleagues have analysed what different age groups actually do online.
The study, published in the journal Socius: Sociological Research For A Dynamic World concludes that almost all adults aged 18 to 74 regularly use digital platforms – with younger people using them the most (more than three hours a day), people aged 45 to 54 using them for a about an hour, and 65 to 74-year-olds using them for around 40 minutes.
"To be honest, we were surprised at how much time older people spend online," Bobzien said.
When it comes to social media, older people tend to use messenger services such as WhatsApp or Telegram and Facebook, while YouTube was used across all generations, the study shows.
Their needs also differ: Younger people tended to say they used social media to obtain information, while older people were more likely to cite entertainment.
Still Katzer, the cyberpsychologist, notes that the rhythm of the Internet is not made for the brain of any age group.
"Our Stone Age brain is overwhelmed by the diversity and speed of the internet's rhythm. We must be aware that we are being led astray emotionally and cognitively and that we are losing certain skills or not learning them in the first place – such as critical thinking or the ability to solve problems ourselves." – dpa
