China's Silver Economy: More and more senior citizens go digital

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China is one of the world's largest investors in and adopters of digital technologies. As the nation goes digital, more seniors are picking up new tricks. CGTN's Natasha Hussain has the story.

China has become a leading global force in e-commerce and digital payments over the past decade. One reason behind the rapid development is China's large home market of consumers who are young and eager to embrace digital technology.

To most young people in China, mobile phone apps make life more convenient. But this is not shared by many elderly Chinese.

YAN XIUYING "I didn't use smartphones until last year. It seems too complicated. I was afraid I couldn't figure it out. Many of my friends feel the same way."

In order to better use her phone, 80-year-old Yan Xiuying started attending courses offered by See Young.

See Young is a Beijing-based non-profit group with a mission to help the elderly harness technology. Their popular courses include mobile payments, online shopping, online hospital registration, and photo editing app use.

ZHANG JIAXIN CO-FOUNDER, SEE YOUNG "I started See Young to make life easier for the seniors. I came up with the idea while teaching my grandma. In China, there must be many elderly people like my grandma, who cannot handle computers or other modern gadgets."

See Young has helped more than 18,000 senior citizens across China since 2011. Today's course is online shopping.

GAN XIAOLING VOLUNTEER "Aging poses many challenges for the elderly. For example, memory loss. Some of them need to be taught many times. But their learning ability varies. Some use the apps quite well now."

Liu Fu is a quick learner among his peers. The 79-year-old has been using a smartphone for five years. He is now capable of using mobile payments to shop at nearby convenience stores. After taking today's course, Liu said he has the confidence to shop online by himself. But he is afraid his daughter may disapprove.

LIU FU "My daughter always worries that I may become a victim of online fraud. I understand her concerns, but I don't want to bother her to buy stuff for me very often. I want to buy some necessities online by myself as well."

In order to win over elderly customers like Liu Fu, Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba launched a special version of its popular mobile app Taobao earlier this year. The new version has larger print and easier access to functions popular with senior citizens. More importantly, it could link to the elderly's children's accounts and allow the young to pay for their parents' purchases.

China is an aging nation. It is estimated that by 2030, the elderly will account for a quarter of China's total population. In the digital era, a gap in the silver economy is waiting to be filled. The market may drive more companies to empower both the young and old. Natasha Hussain, CGTN, Beijing.