Why are older people missing from our conversations about internet addiction?

For Deborah Martin, 71, technology is embedded into daily life. Recounting the rhythms of what was a typical morning, Martin says she woke up, asked Google Home for the weather forecast, checked her emails and updated a Google spreadsheet. She then saw an ad for a course on AI, posted about it on Facebook and spent a few hours starting the course.

As head trainer at the Hills District Computer Pals club in Sydney, Martin sees the impact of technology on her peers’ lives, and disputes the stereotype they are less adept with computers. “There’s as much variety in older adults as there is in the general population,” she says.

Deborah Martin, head trainer at the Hills District Computer Pals club.Credit: Louise Kennerley

After a career in the public service, her hunger to stay abreast of technological change continues in retirement. She is constantly discovering new ways to integrate technology into her life – from using AI to identify weeds to researching family history.

“I’m learning all the time and it’s changing all the time. It’s just amazing, the things that get introduced.”

Our reliance on technology is a big part of Sydney-based psychologist Dr Anastasia Hronis’ new book, The Dopamine Brain, which looks at how we can better manage impulsive behaviour.

“I’d love the book to be a point of reflection for people to assess how present and mindful they are in their day-to-day,” she says, “versus how much they feel compelled to do certain things because of that dopamine activation.”

Hronis stresses that these conversations shouldn’t fuel fearmongering about our online lives.

“Technology is really important. So it’s certainly not to advocate for taking it away or not utilising it. But just making sure that we have a balanced, healthy relationship with it.”

Technology addiction and older adults

Conversations around technology – and its potential harms – have long focused on our youth. And while more older adults than ever are connected – 93 per cent had internet access in their homes according to data from 2021 – little academic research exists on how much, and how often, they use technology.

“Addictions relating to technology and the internet are less common in older adults than younger adults, but they certainly can still exist,” says Hronis.

“Add in factors such as isolation and loneliness, and we definitely see that older adults can be vulnerable to becoming hooked on certain technologies.”

Javiera Rosell is a visiting professor at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing who specialises in the impact of technology on older people’s wellbeing.

She says problematic use is generally defined by “neglecting daily life tasks in favour of staying online, losing control over internet usage, and experiencing emotional dysregulation when it is not possible to connect or when the connection is interrupted”.

While she stresses that more evidence is needed to distinguish between internet use in younger and older individuals, a study she led “found that both younger and older adults used the internet to cope with stressful situations, which is a risk factor for developing problematic internet use”.

Rosell believes that ageism – and the assumption that “older adults are incapable of developing problematic internet use” – is a significant factor underlying the lack of research in the field.

Balancing pleasure and purpose

In The Dopamine Brain, Hronis writes about the importance of balancing pleasure and purpose. A life driven purely by hedonism might involve things that are pleasurable in the moment, but will feel empty in the long run. The key, she says, is finding that sweet spot.

As we age and children fly the coop or we stop working, it can be natural for that sense of purpose to fade. It’s important then, Hronis says, to make sure we are constantly reevaluating what matters to us.

“I get a bit of a dopamine hit when I discover something new and exciting. So there are rewards,” says Martin, who agrees that purpose is key to maintaining healthy habits.

What happens to dopamine as we age

• As we age, our brains produce less dopamine. This, Hronis says, “is generally linked to a decrease in risk-taking behaviour for potential rewards.” 
• Our brain’s neuroplasticity – the ability of our neurons to strengthen or form new synaptic pathways – also weakens. “We know that the older someone gets, the harder it becomes to learn new skills, and also make and maintain new connections in the brain,” says Hronis.
• But this doesn’t mean learning or unlearning habits is impossible. It just might take a little more gumption or patience, says Hronis.

“I think we learn better when we’ve got reason to learn,” she says.

For anyone looking to reconnect with their values, Hronis recommends starting with a list of things that matter most to them.

“Often there are common ones that come to mind, like family or health, but really think outside the box. Maybe creativity is a value or adventure or honesty.”

The next step is finding behaviours, activities or goals that align with those values.

She says a period of abstinence is usually necessary to rewire our behaviour. Using these values-based activities, alongside strategies like self-soothing, to combat urges is a means of healthy distraction.

Martin thinks that taking regular breaks and an active social life are key to maintaining a healthy relationship with technology.

“The people I associate with have a balanced life, belong to private clubs, exercise and have interests and do things.”

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