Internet use, even as infrequently as once a week, can lower depression symptoms, improve life satisfaction and contribute to a better sense of overall health in over-50s according to new research out of the University of Hong Kong (HKU).
Published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour in November, the study examined the relationship between internet use and mental health among more than 87,000 adults aged 50 and over across 23 countries. Researchers found that internet use is correlated with lower depressive symptoms, higher life satisfaction and better self-reported health, although these benefits did vary among different demographic groups. Those who were often online had about nine percent lower depression scores and those over 65, who are single or have little social contact, saw particularly pronounced benefits from internet use. Even those logging on as infrequently as once a week, however, enjoyed positive effects on life satisfaction and mental health.
Zhang Qingpeng, an associate professor at HKU in the department of pharmacology and pharmacy who led the study, emphasised that the internet can provide “an important channel for social connections and online entertainment, which help alleviate feelings of loneliness … and enhance overall quality of life” while also allowing older adults greater access to health-related information.
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As the world faces a rapidly ageing population and varied mental health challenges – many exacerbated by the pandemic, climate change and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis in many countries – the internet may be a valuable tool. This study seeks to provide evidence of a relationship between internet use and mental health among older adults across countries as existing data is limited and inconsistent.
By demonstrating the positive relationship between the two, it highlights internet use as a potentially valuable tool for tackling mental health issues, particularly in countries where professional mental health services are not always easily accessible. However, experts like Professor Andrea Wigfield, director of the Centre for Loneliness Studies at Sheffield Hallam University in the UK, cautioned BBC Science Focus that digital connections cannot fully replace face-to-face interactions.
Rather, internet use should be seen as a supplement to such direct social interaction, allowing older adults to maintain long distance relationships, seek out new social ties in the absence of socialisation platforms like work or school, and accommodate periods when they may be less able to interact physically, either due to mobility or illness issues.
