Over-75s 'failing to go online'

01/09/11

Dan Smith

Older people are still struggling to access the internet, with over three-quarters of them never going online, according to new figures.

The internet has never been accessed by more than 76 per cent of the country's over-75s, the latest Office for National Statistics research shows.

Age UK service director Helena Herklots emphasised that people can access the web in a range of easy ways.

She said: "Twenty years on from its invention, the internet is increasingly important to our everyday lives and there are more ways of accessing it than ever, including via a laptop or a mobile phone."

Ms Herklots added: "The web can help boost finances and tackle isolation by things like saving money on shopping and keeping in touch with loved ones more easily."

She said that taster sessions in technologies like the internet are now set to be offered by her organisation during September.