A recent study, called Offline and Overlooked, found that a substantial number of individuals aged 65 and above face barriers in using the internet effectively. According to them, approximately 4.7 million seniors in the UK struggle to carry out basic internet-related activities such as turning on devices, managing account logins, setting up WiFi connections, and keeping passwords secure. 

On top of this, 2.3 million seniors in the same age group do not use the internet at all, with nearly half of this group aged 75 and above. 

These factors intersect with challenges already present in the lives of seniors, such as disabilities or financial barriers. This can, in turn, make it even more difficult to adapt to digital platforms in the first place. 

Moreover, among seniors who do venture online, around 2.5 million individuals still struggle with essential digital skills necessary for thriving in today’s society. These skills include communication, accessing information, conducting transactions, and ensuring online safety.

“Many public as well as private service providers seem hell-bent on shifting their activities online but, as our new report shows, it’s clear that in doing so they are leaving fully one in three of the older population behind. In fact, the inconvenient truth is that many millions of people of all ages, especially older ones, are neither confident nor adept at using the internet, and want and need to continue to be able to transact their business in more traditional ways,” said Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK.

“The Government should step in and ensure that we can all choose to access and use public services offline – by phone, letter or face to face as appropriate – rather than forcing everyone down a digital route many of us are struggling to navigate, and some of us are unable to navigate at all.”

The charity recommends several measures to bridge the digital gap, including funding for offline services, support for non-internet users, and the development of a comprehensive national Digital Inclusion Strategy.

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In response to these findings, Age UK has proposed key recommendations to address the issue, urging public services and financial institutions to maintain face-to-face options and invest in shared banking hubs to meet the needs of elderly customers.

“Policy makers should stop fantasising about a digital-only world, come back down to earth and make sure older people can continue to access the services to which they are entitled – whether they use the internet or not,” said Abrahams.