Digital Technology: Older People
(asked on 9th December 2025) - View Source
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she has taken to reduce the rate of digital exclusion among elderly people in a) England and b) Romford constituency.
Answered by
Kanishka Narayan
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We know that digital exclusion is a complex issue and some demographics are more likely to be digitally excluded than others, including older people – with statistics showing 86% of adults aged 60+ are online, compared to 95% of all UK adults in 2025 (2025 Consumer Digital Index report).
That’s why in February we published the Digital Inclusion Action Plan which outlines the immediate steps we are taking to help more people benefit from being online.
Since then, we have launched the £11.7 million Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund to support community-led projects across the UK. This includes 80 projects across England which will meet the specific and diverse needs of digitally excluded people – including older people - to get online with confidence.