Skip to main content icon/video/no-internet
icon backReturn to Entries

Technology and Aging

Technology surrounds us, from pens to write with to medical equipment and activity trackers that allow us to assess steps, calories, sleep, and more generally monitor our health and to devices that allow us to access information and communicate instantaneously. At the most basic level, technology is simply a tool that allows individuals to do things, often in easier ways than they could do before the advent of that technology. This entry focuses on information and communication technologies (ICTs). ICTs are devices, tools, and applications that enable individuals to collect and access information and communicate. Examples include computers, the Internet, telephones (mobile and landline), radios, videoconferencing, social networking sites, and e-mail.

ICTs have proliferated since the mid-1990s, with an increasing number of devices and applications becoming available and utilized by increasing numbers of people across the life span. Many of these devices and applications provide access to, or facilitate activities related to, the Internet. Nearly 90% of adults in the United States report using the Internet. More than 95% of adults aged 18–29 use the Internet, with levels decreasing with age. Older adults are the group least likely to use the Internet, with fewer than 65% of those aged 65 and older using the Internet in 2016.

Much of the focus on ICTs has been on how people in different age groups, particularly youth and young adults, use and interact with these devices and applications. Less research has focused on very young children or adults at the older adult end of the life span, although research on these populations has been increasing.

ICT Use Across the Life Span

Children increasingly have an online presence even before they are born, owing to parents posting ultrasound pictures; and soon after babies are born, birth announcements are commonly posted online. Parents’ posting pictures of their children is one of the most common uses of social media. Babies and very young children have little to no control over the digital footprint that their parents and others are leaving for them.

Very young children and adolescents are also increasingly being exposed more directly to ICTs. Although video players (e.g., DVD players) have been used by parents and caregivers because the late 20th century to entertain and distract young children, parents and caregivers are increasingly turning to mobile phones and tablets to entertain young children and adolescents. It is common to see children as young as 2–3 years old playing on mobile phones and tablets, particularly in public places such as restaurants and shopping areas.

School systems are also incorporating tablets and other devices into classes, starting in preschools and increasing in use in elementary, middle, and high schools. A variety of games, apps, and websites have been created to appeal to young children and adolescents, some focused on education, but many such apps and sites focused primarily on entertainment.

The majority of young children and adolescents do not own their own devices. Young children and adolescents primarily use devices owned by their parents or siblings, and these devices are mainly used for entertainment and distraction purposes. Common uses include watching videos, playing games, and doing homework.

...

  • Loading...
locked icon

Sign in to access this content

Get a 30 day FREE TRIAL

  • Watch videos from a variety of sources bringing classroom topics to life
  • Read modern, diverse business cases
  • Explore hundreds of books and reference titles

Read next

More like this

Sage Recommends

We found other relevant content for you on other Sage platforms.

close

Have you created a personal profile? Login or create a profile so that you can save clips, playlists and searches

close
close
close Signed In to profile You are signed in as:
close
Logged in Institution Institution