Seniors and teens bridge the digital divide
A new program has young people helping older Australians get the most out of digital communications and technology.
The eSafety Commissioner has launched an innovative program that brings older people and teens together to share and improve their digital skills and comfort with technology.
Through the intergenerational Young Mentors program, seniors can gain the skills, knowledge, and confidence to navigate the online world.
“Technology has a wonderful ability to connect, enable and empower individuals. The importance of this connection was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.
“For those who use digital technology in our daily lives, we may not realise how novel it can be to older people who have lived much of their lives without it.
“It is difficult for anyone to stay on top of the continually evolving digital landscape as modern technologies emerge. Ensuring we do not leave older Australians behind as society continues to move online is essential.”
Be Connected
- Be Connected is an Australian Government initiative implemented in partnership with the Department of Social Services, the eSafety Commissioner, and Good Things Foundation Australia. Be Connected is committed to improving older Australians' online confidence, skills, and safety.
- The Be Connected website, managed by eSafety, provides free information, learning modules, webinars, and podcasts about the internet and digital technology.
- When registering for Young Mentors, participants can access a comprehensive toolkit with all the promotional, training, and facilitation materials needed to run the program.
Our research found that digital technology and skills are valued by seniors. Key findings were:
- Many older Australians are using digital technology in their everyday lives.
- There are varying proficiency levels among older Australians who are already online.
- Comfort levels vary depending on the technology.
- Senior web surfers are not all the same.
- Attitudes to digital services vary among senior groups.
- Senior users are developing resilience to scams.
- Digital disengagement does not necessarily mean digital illiteracy.
We believe the ease of digital communication is vital for all seniors, who increasingly need to access support services and health information on the internet.
Our Fix Pension Poverty campaign calls on the government to subsidise the cost of connecting to the internet through the NBN for age pensioners.
To read more about our campaign to connect all age pensioners to the internet, join our Fix Pension Poverty campaign.
The Young Mentors program will also benefit young people by developing their teaching, leadership, and social skills.
The Office of the eSafety Commissioner says people of all ages taking part in the pilot reported increased social connection and understanding across generations.
Young Mentor is a free program that helps community organisations and groups partner with secondary schools to coordinate one-on-one digital mentoring sessions. The weekly one-hour sessions focus specifically on the needs of older learners over six weeks.
eSafety research shows younger Australians are keen to help older relatives get online. Young people are more likely to show older family members how to use technology (59 per cent) rather than doing the task for them when asked (40 per cent).
The report also shows:
- Younger generations believe it is important for people over 70 to have better digital skills.
- Young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds are even more likely to show an older family member how to use technology.
- Only four per cent of young people felt frustrated or annoyed when helping an older family member use technology.
You can see Young Mentors in action in eSafety’s pilot promotional video and case studies.
To register, visit the Young Mentors website.
For further reading: ESafety and National Seniors Australia
