Confederation of European Computer User Associations

CECUA Euro-news flash

The Over 50 year olds surf the Net

Recent studies in the USA have shown that the 50 plus age group is the fastest growing segment of the population getting Internet connections. A further study has shown that the over 60s spend more time on the Internet than any other group.

This is quite a revelation as it had been previously thought that the Internet was the preserve of the young. It now appears that it is the parents who are the ones who are being left out. Grandparents are now increasingly using the net to send e-mail, greeting cards and digital pictures to their grandchildren and are building network communities to have fun, help themselves and to serve the community. One of the first sites to be set up was www.senior.net which now has tens of thousands of regular visitors. The over 50s are now surfing the net having found that it is an invaluable source of information, especially on travel, holidays, health matters, hobbies etc. etc. etc.

All those doing or hoping to business on the Web need to be particularly aware of this trend. It is now estimated that over 10% of the population is over 60. By 2050 it is forecast that 27% of the population will be over 80, showing that the market for this increasingly affluent segment of the market is growing very rapidly indeed and cannot be ignored.

Well, what has this got to do with the Bill of Rights? This is just an example of how usage of the net is growing at a fantastic rate amongst citizens. The net is being used for leisure and is being used for commerce. Without protection, the citizen is vulnerable to a technology which is able to know their personal details, their likes and dislikes and can in some cases reach directly into their pockets! They need protection and this can be done by governments being asked to agree to a global Bill of Rights for Citizens in the Information Society. What do you think? Visit us and give your views on www.cecua.org

(Source - Netcenter news 0399)