Public scrutiny has focused on teens and screens, but researchers quoted by the Post warn a quieter crisis is unfolding among older Americans: they are immersed in the same feeds, algorithms, and chatbots—and may be even more exposed.
Who’s online—and for how long
Nine in ten Americans over 50 are on social media, the AARP reports, including 72 percent on Facebook, 34 percent on Instagram, and 18 percent on TikTok. People 65 and older now spend an estimated 104 minutes a day on those platforms, according to Statista. Pew data from February showed 23 percent of seniors use AI chatbots, and 42 percent of adults 50 to 64 do the same. A 2025 survey found a third of baby boomers prefer short‑form clips to long videos and shows, close behind four in 10 millennials.
Why experts are worried
“It’s very concerning,” Dr. Stacey Wood, a clinical neuropsychologist and professor at Scripps College, told the Post. “Older people are maybe less aware of the algorithm’s power, like how they work… It’s really hard [for them] to discern what’s credible and what’s not.” Wood worries that frictionless scrolling is crowding out reading and other work that keeps aging minds sharp. “It’s a bad habit of mind,” she said.
Natalie Ebner, a University of Florida psychologist who studies brain aging, said quick‑hit content may hit older adults especially hard because their reward systems produce less dopamine. “[They] have to go for more in order to get the same,” she said, adding: “The biggest threat [to older people is] the fast‑evolving nature of the internet.”
Misinformation risk rises with age, researcher says
Wood added that aging brains are more likely to treat repetition as truth and to share sensational, partisan posts. “We tend to get more partisan as we get older,” she said. “There’s been research showing that as people get older, they’re much more likely — like 5 to 10 times more likely — to share highly partisan content, including misinformation, with their social networks.”
What recent studies are finding
A 2025 review of studies in adults over 40 found that “active” online work—such as email and news reading—was tied to better memory and attention, while passive viewing tracked with weaker verbal memory and cognition. A 12‑year study of nearly 90,000 adults linked moderate screen time to lower dementia risk and heavy use to higher risk. A 2026 study of people 60 to 89 found problematic social media use associated with poorer cognitive and social functioning.
AI supercharges scams
Scammers have added AI to their toolkits, according to Wood, who consults with older clients who have lost money to AI‑enhanced fraud. “These people have been destroyed… I’ve had suicidal clients following this,” she said.
