Report says China's seniors are avid online users

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Internet isn’t only for the young, according to a recently released survey in China, showing that people aged 50 and above constitute a major chunk of online users.

A joint survey released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and Chinese tech giant Tencent sampled the elderly in China using big data, questionnaires, and face-to-face interviews.

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The survey found that 75.8 percent of elderly users read news online, and more than half would search for their favorite news.

Seventy percent of interviewees say they love reading heartwarming and funny stories. Seniors also prefer political, military and health news, compared with younger generations.

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The popular Chinese chat app WeChat has also become indispensable to the young and the old, with more than 80 percent of the elderly interviewees saying they send emojis in their messages, giving "thumbs up" for posts shared by their friends on their social feed, while also sending and receiving digital red envelopes, a holiday tradition.

"Many elderly users tend to communicate with their children through sending them articles and emojis, suggesting their emotional and communicative needs when they are surfing online," associate professor Zhu Di of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said.

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Apart from reading and chatting, the report also found that older generations are using some of the new functions. More than half said they have used e-payments, and around a third has tried either using online maps or ride-hailing applications.

But potential risks come along with such convenience. The top three scams targeted at the elderly online are connected with free red envelopes (60.3%), free Internet data (52.3) and discounted group purchases (48.6%).

Among those who have been scammed, victims are more likely to have middle or high income.