“…a new generation of pensioners are adding to their screen time with smartphones, iPads and game consoles. The result is epic screen sessions, which take up more than half of pensioners’ waking hours….the elderly usually have oodles of free time. For a teenager facing exams, the opportunity cost of a five-hour-a-day TikTok habit is high. For a pensioner it is a case of swapping one leisure pursuit for another. Parents and policymakers have a right to interfere with how children spend their time. Adults should be free to waste it as they like.”
Whilst productivity hinderance or cognitive deterioration of the elderly may not seem like the world should worry about, there are other costs. Besides, the risk of fraudsters scamming unassuming pensioners online, there is risk of misinformation:
“Pensioners are twice as likely as under-25s to use news apps or websites. Older people also appear to be more susceptible than others to online hoaxes (which artificial intelligence promises to make still more convincing). As older generations shift from spending their time in front of Fox or the BBC to spending it on YouTube or TikTok, they are entering a Wild West of information. And when the elderly are misled it is everyone’s problem, because they are the most likely to vote.
Screen time has a mixed impact on loneliness. Screens are companions for the isolated. But they can also be a substitute for real life. E-commerce removes the hassle of the weekly shopping trip—but also the social interactions that come with it. Consumers are free to make such choices. But for the infirm, the siren song of the sofa is especially strong. Balancing the pros and cons of screen use is easier for teenagers, whose time online is curbed by teachers during the day and parents in the evening. Older folk lack these informal mediators.”
The Economist has a longer piece on this for those interested. But it ends this one on a constructive note: “Universal use of smartphones and social media should make it easier to have sensible conversations about their trade-offs. And when children are told for the umpteenth time to get off their phones, they can cast a meaningful glance at grandpa in the corner, chuckling at the latest memes on WhatsApp.”
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