Silver Surfers Are Growing, But Need More Help Online

The older generation is getting online faster than the rest of the population – but charities warn that help is needed to get the digital refuseniks to finally take the plunge.

Although the number of  new broadband connections only increased by three percent in the UK last year, it rose nine percent for the 65-74 age group and eight percent among over 75-year olds, according to a research paper from Ofcom.

These age groups, popularly referred to as Silver Surfers, are being actively encouraged to get involved with Web technologies. The Internet is being used increasingly by the state and local councils for providing online services and charities warn this will put the nine million people who have no Internet access at a disadvantage. Many of those without access are elderly and infirm – two groups that could benefit most from the Web.

Children Could Teach Their Grandparents

Both Charity Talk, a phone and broadband provider, and the government’s digital champion Martha Lane Fox  aim to increase the silver surfer community by raising the level of digital awareness and literacy.

Although Charity Talk suggests that children and teenagers could help get their grandparents online in the run-up to Christmas, there is a bigger challenge to inspire senior citizens to want to learn a new technology that may hold no interest for many of them.

“In the UK there are 9.2 million adults who are currently offline,” said Lane Fox. “Four million of this group are also socially excluded. The internet is a fantastic resource which offers users a huge range of benefits for this age group – from keeping in touch with family and friends, to making savings online, to even getting your shopping delivered to your door.”

She believes that if every connected person helped just one friend or family member to get online it would accelerate the building of a more networked UK.

Lane Fox was at the centre of a controversy recently when she urged the government to hasten its plans to move more services online. Age UK pointed out that such a move would act to widen the digital divide between those with access and those without.

In September, a Pew Research study surveyed over 5,000 silver surfers over the age of 50 and found that 42 percent of them were regular users of social networking sites. This allowed them to keep in touch with relatives and old friends they had not seen for a long time.

The report commented: “Although email continues to be the primary way that older users maintain contact with friends, families and colleagues, many now rely on social network platforms to help manage their daily communications.”

As a Race Online 2012 partner, Charity Talk is actively encouraging people to go online. The organisation offers three months’ free broadband (increasing to £7.99) and uses its UK charity partners to help people with their online problems.