Towards an Understanding of How Computer Skills Relate to Online Safety Across Older Adults

In the United Kingdom, older adults aged sixty-five and above who lack essential digital skills are on the edge of being digitally excluded. To investigate the crucial digital skills that might motivate older adults to engage more online, an exploratory study was conducted through a questionnaire survey with 31 participants and a semi-structured interview with 13 participants. The results indicated that potential risks on the web make older people overly guarded and therefore undermine their confidence in enjoying online services and applications. They mistrust the internet, are concerned about information safety, and lack basic digital literacy. This paper aimed to understand how older adults’ digital skills and literacy influenced their attitudes towards cybersecurity and privacy problems.