Seniors struggling worse than teens with screens, AI and algorithms | Latest Tech News
There’s a lot of fear, understandably, about younger people’s screen time and the addictive nature of social media on youthful people, but older people are also at risk — often even more so.
“It’s very concerning.” Dr. Stacey Wood, scientific neuropsychologist and professor at Scripps College, told The Post. “Older people are maybe less aware of the algorithm’s power, like how they work… It’s really hard [for them] to discern what’s credible and what’s not.”
Nine in ten Americans over 50 are now on social media, according to the AARP, with 72% on Facebook, 34% Instagram, and 18% on TikTok. Even seniors over 65 are now estimated to spend 104 minutes a day on social media, according to Statista.
Older people are also taking up AI en masse. Pew data from February discovered that a full 23% of senior residents use chatbots, and 42% of those aged 50 to 64 do the same.
Short type content has confirmed extremely addictive for people of all ages. @merissasdiary/TikTok
Of course maintaining up with tech is a good factor and can help keep older people related, but it’s a slippery slope.
While the results of social media on younger minds are nicely studied, researchers are starting to flip their consideration to older people — and what they’re discovering is worrying.
A 3rd of boomers say that they like short-form content to long-form video and reveals, according to a 2025 client insights survey, not far behind 4 in 10 millennials. The frictionless consumption of short-form content issues Wood, who suspects it might be inflicting a dangerous suggestions loop among older people.
She emphasised that there isn’t enough research yet in the space but theorized that low-effort, straightforward to devour social media usage might be displacing enriching actions, like studying, that retains minds agile.
1 / 4 of senior residents are utilizing AI chatbots, as of February 2026. dpa/image alliance via Getty Images
“It’s a bad habit of mind,” Wood said.
Natalie Ebner, a University of Florida professor and psychologist who research mind growing older, famous that quick-hit content could be particularly potent for older people whose reward facilities of the mind are usually less energetic and don’t produce as a lot dopamine as youthful minds:
“[They] have to go for more in order to get the same,” she said. “The biggest threat [to older people is] the fast-evolving nature of the internet.”
As people age, Wood famous, they also have a tendency to be more seemingly to imagine one thing is true because it’s merely repeated to them over and over, and they’re usually more prone to sensationalized and highly-partisan content.
Dr. Stacey Wood says that artificial intelligence introduces a entire host of new challenges. Scrippscollege.edu
“We tend to get more partisan as we get older,” she explained. “There’s been research showing that as people get older, they’re much more likely — like 5 to 10 times more likely — to share highly partisan content, including misinformation, with their social networks.”
We can’t yet perceive how addictive, short-form content will impression any age group long-term since it’s still so comparatively new, but current research into other kinds of screen time suggests that passive web use is problematic as the mind ages.
One 2025 review of a number of research in adults over 40 discovered that “active” online actions — for occasion, writing emails or studying news articles — had been related with better reminiscence, consideration, and government perform, while passive screen use, like watching videos or reveals, was more often related with poorer verbal reminiscence and general cognition.
Older people are migrating from platforms like Facebook to Instagram and even TikTok. AFP via Getty Images
Existing literature also reveals that compulsive and problematic use of technology — exactly the type of habits exacerbated by addictive short-form content — is particularly dangerous to growing older brains.
One examine of virtually 90,000 socially energetic adults over 12 years discovered that reasonable screen time was related with a decrease risk of dementia, while heavy use was related with a increased risk. Another 2026 examine discovered that, among topics aged 60 to 89, problematic and extreme social media use was related with poorer cognitive functioning and social cognition.
Meanwhile, scammers are also utilizing AI, making older people more prone to being focused than ever before. In her work as a psychologist, Wood often consults with older purchasers who have been cheated out of money by AI-enhanced scams. “These people have been destroyed… I’ve had suicidal clients following this,” she explained.
Gen Zers are taking to social media to call out their mother and father’ dangerous technology habits in a new viral development. @madsvespa/TikTok
As a member of Gen Z who grew up online, I’ve seen myself that the same mother and father who raised me to be cautious of the web and keep my screen time down are now spending more and more time scrolling through Instagram reels, X videos and AI slop.
While I’m glad we’ve technology to keep us related, it’s unhappy to see beforehand untouched generations fall into the same detrimental habits that my era struggles with.
It’s one thing we all ought to fear about, and one thing we should always start having energetic, intergenerational conversations about.
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