Older people at significant risk of digital ageism and social exclusion, warns Commissioner

A new report published today (29 October) by the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales has highlighted the significant issues and barriers faced by older people due to the growing issue of ‘digital ageism’ and calls for action to prevent older people becoming excluded in an increasingly digital world.

Digital ageism relates to stereotyping, prejudice or disadvantage directed at people on the basis of age within digital contexts, which impacts upon individuals, as well as affecting wider services and systems. Digital ageism also interacts with other inequalities, which results in some older people – such as Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic older people, or those living with a disability – facing greater disadvantages.

The report finds that digital ageism creates barriers to older people across a range of areas – from accessing health and social care services, to lifelong learning opportunities, to social participation and leisure activities – often as a result of poorly designed platforms and systems that assume digital literacy and are designed with younger users in mind.

The report also highlights that older workers face systemic barriers relating to employment, with advertising and recruitment systems replicating ageist biases, older employees often lacking access to digital training, and workplace cultures that often stereotype older people as resistant to change. These factors contribute to exclusion and push people to exit the workforce earlier than they might have planned.

Another key area covered by the report is the impact of the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in many areas of our day-to-day lives and the ways in which algorithms frequently embed bias against older people.

The report highlights, for example, how the increasing use of algorithmic tools within monitoring and surveillance systems in care settings (such as motion sensors) can restrict people’s rights to privacy, dignity and self-determination and can frame older adults, particularly those living with dementia, as passive subjects in need of control rather than as individuals with rights and autonomy.

Similarly, the use of AI tools within recruitment and employment can reinforce biases age-related biases, limiting opportunities and creating barriers for older workers.

The report includes a number of recommendations for the Welsh Government and public services, as well as setting out the action that the technology sector and digital service designers should take to address the issues identified.

These include working in partnership with older people to co-design systems and services, creating a requirement that all publicly commissioned digital products and services meet age-inclusive accessibility and usability standards, and ensuring that digital policies account for and recognise the diversity among older people’s experiences.

Older People’s Commissioner for Wales, Rhian Bowen-Davies, said:

“Digital services and systems are playing an increasing role in our day-to-day lives, but the rapid shift towards ‘digital first’ is resulting in many older people being left behind.

“As highlighted by the report I’m publishing today, older people face a range of barriers in terms of accessing and using online platforms, which increases the risk that people will find themselves first digitally then socially excluded.

“Alongside this, age-related biases often embedded into AI and algorithms lead to discriminatory outcomes, such as reduced accuracy in healthcare diagnoses or employment practices that exclude older people.

“These issues must be rapidly addressed, both by the Welsh Government and public services in Wales, as well as the companies that are designing and developing the platforms and systems through which these are delivered.

“That’s why I’m calling for action to ensure that these are co-designed through working in partnership with older people, to ensure they reflect people’s needs and the diversity of people and their experiences.

“There is also a real opportunity for Wales to lead the way by creating a requirement for all digital products and services that are publicly commissioned to meet age-inclusive accessibility and usability standards, which should also be co-produced with older people.

“Tackling digital ageism is essential to ensure fairness, rights and inclusion for older people as society becomes increasingly digital, and I look forward to working with key partners – here in Wales and more widely – to bring about the change required.”

ENDS