More Older Adults Online — Especially From Their Phones

The Pew Research Center estimates that smartphone use among adults older than 65 has risen fourfold in the last five years alone, reports KMOX . Two decades ago only 12 percent of this population were online, compared to almost 70 percent today. The Oasis Institute' Amy VanDeVelde says seniors' increasing smartphone adoption can be traced to several reasons. "One is as they watch people in their lives use the devices and realize how many apps and different applications for the phone and uses are relevant for their lives, they adopt," she notes. "The other is that in lower income situations people who do not have Internet in the home may adopt a smartphone as their only point of contact with the Internet." VanDeVelde says many older men and women are learning to use smartphones as a tool for everyday life, with step trackers one of the more popular smartphone apps. "Someone who's trying to manage diabetes or another chronic condition and wants to know how active they were or thinks I really haven't had my steps today can look at their phone and see how many steps they've had," she notes.