Over 50s need to overcome distrust of Internet

It's a sad fact that older people who are not computer literate or able to use the Internet are being excluded from many aspects of daily life, says a report in the Telegraph.

A new study carried out by an research group at Oxford University has found that half of those over 50, representing 10 million people, are not connected to the Internet, thereby missing out on all the social, financial and educational benefits of Internet access.

Some reasons given for many older people's unwillingness to go online are lack of security, fear of pornography, and a feeling that the Internet is for young people.

Just under half of over 50s interviewed said that they had never used the Internet, compared with 9.6 per cent of 25 to 49-year-olds.

There is a sharp decrease in the rates of Internet usage among people in their late 50s and further falls for those in their late 60s. One reason proposed for these differences is the lower income of pensioners who often find it hard to be able to afford computers and Internet access.

The editor of Mature Times Tony Watts commented on the situation of this digital divide: "It's very clear that the digital divide is rapidly becoming a gulf, and there is a huge swathe of people who will become increasingly isolated and disadvantaged unless some radical action is taken."

Mr Watts added that even those older people who went online often failed to research healthcare options and ignored the opportunities of the Web as a valuable and informative resource. He said:"There are probably millions of people who are determined never to consider even trying to operate a computer."

This is a great shame as older people are the very ones who will have the biggest need of health facilities available online such as remote health scanning and monitoring.

It is important to help resistant over 50s to overcome their fear and distrust of learning to use computers and to use the Internet to their full advantage.

The director of the Oxford Internet Survey said: "Getting elders to experience the Internet, when they distrust it, is the central challenge."

A total of 916 people over the age of 50 were interviewed for the study.

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