The growing elderly population is showing signs of Internet addiction driven by loneliness and a lack of social engagement, prompting experts to call for greater family support and stronger fraud prevention efforts to protect seniors from online scams. A report released on Feb 5 by the China Internet Network Information Centre showed that as at December 2025, China had about 1.125 billion Internet users, with more than 80% of the population having Internet access. “The Internet becomes an ­outlet, offering a place to escape from the real world,” said Ningxia University Xinhua College’s director of psychological health education Wang Wenda. “Family members can discuss cellphone usage time with seniors and set payment limits on mobile payment platforms. It is also necessary for the government to promote anti-fraud knowledge among seniors through big data and push notifications to their phones.” — China Daily/ANN

Source: The Star February 13, 2026 11:47 UTC