In the post-COVID era, ICT education has become a crucial strategy for addressing the digital divide in an ageing society. As the final stage of lifelong learning, elderly education has garnered increasing attention from both academia and society. However, participation in ICT learning remains limited and has yet to gain significant traction within the broader educational landscape. This study explores two key questions: (1) What factors underlie older adults’ reluctance to engage in ICT education? (2) What challenges or pressures lead to feelings of exclusion or withdrawal from such programmes? Between October 2022 and May 2023, I conducted field research at a Third Age University in Lanzhou, China. Through qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews and policy documents, three key themes emerged—early learning experiences, teaching methods, and performance evaluation—which act as significant barriers to learning participation. Thus, this study argues that ICT elderly education should move beyond an expert-driven or performance-oriented approach and instead be shaped by the perspectives and needs of elderly learners. By adopting a more inclusive and learner-centred model, these programmes can better address participation barriers and foster a more supportive and engaging learning environment for older adults.