New Survey Reveals That Even Though Seniors Don’t Scroll As Much As Younger Generations On Social Platforms, They May Be More At Risk For Online Scams
Social media isn’t just a young person’s game anymore. New research indicates that the average American aged 65 and up clocks nearly 300 hours annually scrolling through social feeds.
But don’t let that number fool you. When you break it down daily, older adults are actually pretty good at minimizing screen time– averaging just 47 minutes per day, according to a recent survey of 2,000 senior social media users commissioned by ClearMatch Medicare and conducted by OnePoll.
As for where they’re spending the most time online, Facebook takes the cake, with 75% of seniors favoring it. YouTube and Instagram trail behind, capturing 28% and 10% of this demographic’s attention, respectively.
About 54% of survey participants use social media as a way to pass the time, while a larger 61% use it to reconnect with friends. Staying in contact with other family members and loved ones is another significant reason, cited by 58% of those surveyed. Interestingly, almost two-fifths of respondents (39%) have even struck up new friendships through their social media interactions.
Social media also serves other practical functions for this demographic. A solid 63% of respondents claim they’ve gleaned useful life insights from their feeds. Additionally, 35% regard social platforms as a dependable resource for news updates, while 32% use the platforms as an information-seeking tool.
According to the survey, health topics grab the most attention from seniors, with 46% showing interest. Food-related content is a close second at 43%, followed by entertainment at 36% and political matters at 33%.
Fortunately, 60% of those surveyed acknowledge that social media can only be trusted as an information source occasionally. On the flip side, close to one-fifth believe it’s mostly reliable (19%), while a similar proportion, 20%, confess they’re not entirely sure how to use these platforms safely.
In terms of news credibility, the average senior thinks that just about 43% of the news they encounter on social media is factual. A significant 67% feel that they’re stereotypically seen as easy targets for misinformation, and 36% of them concur with that sentiment.
“There has been a growing intricacy in scams, making them harder to detect in the last decade,” said Ben Pajak, CEO of ClearMatch Medicare.
Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
“Typically, these fraudulent schemes present themselves as overly appealing opportunities, promising freebies or unusually low-cost items. It’s important to exercise caution when encountering such offers and thoroughly scrutinize these opportunities before taking any action.”
Indeed, 34% of those surveyed say they’ve been misled by a source they once considered reliable, and 33% admit they’ve fallen prey to scams before. Most commonly, seniors find themselves vulnerable to scams online (66%) and over the phone (31%), particularly involving money (36%), personal data (17%), and health-related issues (9%). The unfortunate cost? An average loss of $2,700 to such scams.
Fortunately, a larger percentage of seniors, 62%, say they’ve come across scams on social media without taking the bait, particularly those related to health and medical care (24%).
These typically involve scammers impersonating financial companies (38%), dangling “free” incentives in exchange for personal info (33%), or masquerading as healthcare providers (22%).
However, despite having sidestepped scams before, around one in nine confess they’re not exactly sure what red flags to watch out for.
“Although everyone is susceptible to scams, no matter the age, seniors tend to be seen as an ‘easy target’ since many don’t know the ins and outs of the internet,” said Jennifer Girdler, vice president of sales at ClearMatch Medicare.
“Don’t be afraid to ask what your information will be used for and seek a second opinion from a trusted loved one before handing over any identifying data.”
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