A senior takes photo of an artifact at a museum, with his grandson keeping company. Photo: Wang Liang/CSST

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The digital age has fundamentally transformed how societies operate. The widespread adoption of technologies such as the internet, artificial intelligence, and big data has reshaped economic, cultural, and social life—while also deeply influencing individual lifestyles. Within this transformation, population aging and digitalization have intertwined, giving rise to a range of new social challenges. Stereotypes and ageism against seniors related to digital technology use have widened the intergenerational divide, threatening social harmony and integration. As China’s elderly population grows, helping older adults adapt to digital life has become an increasingly urgent task.

In the digital era, seniors face distinct and often overlooked difficulties—chief among them the digital divide and what may be called an “age-based double standard.”

Traditionally, the digital divide refers to disparities in access to and use of information technology between social groups. In China, however, the concept is increasingly synonymous with the generational gap between older and younger people. While younger generations embrace digital tools and become key drivers of digitalization, many seniors experience significant barriers to information access, online interaction, digital consumption, and entertainment—due in part to factors such as declining learning abilities and limited access to information. This divide hinders the improvement of seniors’ quality of life and erodes their bond to modern society.

Alongside this divide is a subtler but equally troubling phenomenon: the age-based double standard. This refers to the tendency to apply different social judgments to identical online behaviors depending on a person’s age. In the digital realm, this manifests as a negative evaluation of seniors’ online actions, while tolerating or even encouraging similar actions by youth. For example, older adults are often labeled as gullible internet users. In reality, however, according to China’s Ministry of Public Security, the average victim of telecom fraud is 37 years old, with only 4.8% of the victims aged either under 18 or over 65, while seniors account for just 14.1% of all internet users. These figures suggest that older adults are less, not more, likely to fall prey to such fraud.

Another example is screen time. Without clear data or defined thresholds, older individuals are often labeled “internet addicts” for relatively modest increases in usage. These stereotypes distort the reality of how seniors use digital tools and may discourage them from exploring digital spaces—undermining their right to fully participate in digital life.

The persistence of both the digital divide and the age-based double standard has had serious consequences—for individual seniors and for society as a whole. First, many older adults experience a heightened sense of social exclusion. Inability to effectively use digital technologies can lead to informational disadvantages, reduced social interaction, and difficulties navigating daily life—ultimately narrowing their social space and deepening isolation.

Second, these dynamics reinforce negative self-images. The portrayal of seniors as digital outsiders reinforces feelings of inadequacy and uselessness, eroding their positive attitudes toward aging.

Finally, intergenerational tensions are deepening. The digital divide and the associated double standard have fueled misunderstandings and estrangement between age groups, diminishing opportunities for mutual understanding and meaningful communication. This not only challenges the traditional virtue of respecting the elderly but may also increase aversion to seniors—exacerbating intergenerational estrangement. Moreover, intergenerational tensions not only weaken seniors’ quality of life and social status, but also pose potential threats to the development of young people themselves. Young and middle-aged people will eventually enter old age, and the current status of intergenerational relations will bear directly on their future living environment and social status.

Fostering intergenerational integration in the digital age is a systematic project that requires the joint efforts of the government, society, families, and individuals. Changing mindsets and adjusting behaviors are essential to gradually closing the digital divide, dismantling the age-related double standard, and supporting the full inclusion of older adults in digital society.

Tang Dan is a research fellow from the Population Development Studies Center at Renmin University of China.

Edited by CHEN MIRONG