Older generations are being left behind due to a lack of technology awareness and understanding, and to bridge that gap, are resorting to bribery to receive help from their younger relatives.
In a survey highlighting the harmful impact that technology is having on the family unit, these findings have revealed a staggering generational divide, which has seen over 55’s increasingly turning to younger family members with regular cries of ‘Can you just… fix the internet?’, ‘or ‘… secure my online banking app?’.
Below are some headline stats:
- A third (33%) of tech novices over 55 struggle with daily tech challenges without the support of their children
- Four-in-10 (43%) of adults aged 55 or over who are tech novices admit to calling up younger family members for remote IT support
- Seven percent of tech novices over 55 have bribed a family member for help
A new survey has found that a third (33%) of tech novices over 55 would struggle with daily technology challenges without some support from their children. Due to this, they are turning to younger family members with regular cries of ‘Can you just… fix the internet?’, ‘… show me how to upload to the cloud?’ or ‘… secure my online banking app?’.
Technology creating FOMO (Fear of missing out)
With around a third (32%) of over 55s describing technology as ‘empowering’ or making them ‘feel liberated’, there is very much a fear of missing out (FOMO) amongst them. At the same time, just over half (53%) admit they are not knowledgeable about tech.
Four-in-ten (43%) of tech novices aged over 55 phone their children or other younger family members for remote IT support. An astonishing 19% of tech novices over 55 miss their children’s tech support more than their company when they are not around. And, in their desire to get help from family members, seven percent even bribe family or friends for support.
“The older generation is becoming the soft underbelly of our connected society, and their over-reliance on younger family members is simply papering over the cracks. It is clear that better education is needed so as to break the cycle of ‘Can you just’. Kaspersky is vowing to further cybersecurity awareness of the over 55s and give them the confidence to conduct their online activities without needing help,” explains David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky.
The majority of over 55s (55%) admit to requiring help with at least one tech task, such as securing a router, installing cybersecurity protection or combating computer viruses. In fact, only 60% of over 55s say they are confident all their devices have up-to-date, adequate security protection.
“Those in the second half of their lives can find technology advances overwhelming and often fear being duped, exposed or targeted via them. Being armed with knowledge may mean we all feel a little less of an existential crisis and a little more attached to our inner Bill Gates,” adds Kathleen Saxton, founder of Psyched Global & psychotherapist.
Kaspersky has created a series of ‘Can you just’ guides, to empower the older generation to arm themselves against tech knowledge gaps and cyber-attacks. It can be accessed here.
Tech Support – About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity company, which has been operating in the market for 21 years. Kaspersky deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into next generation security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky Lab technologies and we help 270,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.
