Groups affected by the digital divide

Older generations were not raised around technology the way younger people were. This creates an immediate gap in familiarity — and familiarity affects confidence. The less confident someone is, the more likely they are to develop a fear of technology and avoid it entirely. Fear leads to non-use, and non-use leads to the divide growing wider over time.

The problem is worsened by the behaviour of IT companies. To maximise profits, businesses target the larger, younger consumer groups — meaning new technologies are designed for people who are already comfortable with them. Older people get very few design accommodations. Smartphones have small screens and tiny icons; older people with reduced dexterity or vision find them genuinely difficult to use. There is simply no commercial incentive to make things easier for a group that is less likely to buy the latest products anyway.

There is also a motivational difference. Young people seek new skills because those skills may become relevant to their future careers. Older people, however, focus on what matters in the present — relationships and emotional connections — rather than on machines. Many do not see the value of social networking through a screen when they can engage with people directly.

The ONS research confirmed that take-up is slowest among older people and lower-income households. More than half of over-50s had not used a computer in the past three months — compared with just 13% of 16–30 year olds.

ONS Table 6.1 — Age composition of UK internet non-users (2011–2018)

This shows what percentage of all non-users fall into each age group — not the percentage of each age group that are non-users.