The silver-haired group like to learn new things on the internet if they have a mobile phone in their hand, shows a report on seniors’ smartphone usage habits.

As the population of seniors increases, the digital life and experience of old people has become an important part of social concern. On October 13, the day before the Double Ninth Festival in China, the 2021 Report on Seniors’ Smartphone Usage was published.

After looking into the smartphone usage habits of people aged above 60 years, the report documents the major reasons for elderly people buying smart phones. Making phone calls and using social media apps like WeChat is the top reason. They also use the smartphone for getting information, taking and editing photos, shopping online and watching videos.

The top three preferences of elderly people are: learning skills like cooking, square dancing, taiji and yoga; calling for votes for their children and friends; and paying living expenses such as water, electricity and gas. 56.6% of the respondents said they have learnt recipes via their smartphone, while 39% have used smartphones to pay living expenses and live a more convenient life.

However, though the elderly have become more accustomed to using mobile phones to obtain information, the real problem is that their ability to recognize information is much lower than that of young people. They still lack confidence in learning to use smartphones. In the interview, 65% of the respondents hope their children or grandchildren can be more patient when teaching the elderly how to use smartphones. Apart from learning from their kids, they also want the community or the open university to help them minimize the digital gap.