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When it comes to the digital age, if you think today’s grandparents are stuck in a time warp, guess again. Last year was a digital tipping point for adults age 65 and older—they’ve now joined the digital generation in droves. As of 2012, for the first time ever, the majority of Americans 65+ now use the Internet or email. And 85 percent have a mobile phone.
Mobile phone use is still different among older Americans than, say, millennials, however. Only 28 percent of 57- to 67-year-olds have a smartphone, and it’s even lower among 68- to 88-year-olds at 16 percent. It seems seniors still largely prefer feature phones than smartphones. One reason may be that most—63 percent—Americans over age 55 report TV is their main source of entertainment, while only 2 percent report using mobile phones for entertainment. In fact, seniors over age 65 average nearly 221 hours of traditional TV watching a month, which is well above the national average of 156 hours and 24 minutes.
With about 60 percent of Americans over 65 online, that equates to more than 20 million people. So what do seniors’ online habits look like? Nearly all online seniors use email—91 percent. And nearly half, or 49 percent, use Facebook. And just slightly less than half, or 46 percent, send and receive photos by email.
What’s next? As U.S. Baby Boomers age past the age-65 horizon, we can expect to see an increase in internet use among seniors. Stay tuned.
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