Grandparents as addicted to phones as their grandchildren: When boomers get hooked on social media

Concerns about young people’s dependence on their cellphones are now joined by worries about how much time baby boomers (the generation born between 1945 and 1965) spend on mobile devices. In Spain, for instance, a report from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) found that internet access and frequent use have become widespread among people aged 65 to 74, reaching 96.3% in 2025. The problem is that an increasing number are becoming overly dependent.The phenomenon is widespread, and improvements in AI images together with personalized scams enabled by hacked personal data make all of us — regardless of age — vulnerable to believing a lie. The problem worsens with age: an article in the U.S. magazine The New Yorker already speaks of screenagers. People who are not digital natives, having lower literacy in social networks and therefore less likely to question the authenticity of the images they see, are more vulnerable to scams and false content. The danger is psychological but also financial: alongside the blow to self‑esteem of realizing they were deceived is the risk of being defrauded. María Gijón, who has written on the subject, says that “the algorithm will recommend the content they linger on, save or forward, so in a short time they fall into an echo chamber that reinforces their political, ideological or religious positions, which leads to many more false stories about the opposing side and further polarizes their views, whichever side they are on,” Gijón explains. The story is not new, but in these cases it is exacerbated.Gijón adds that, like online advertising, potential scammers segment their audience very deliberately, a factor that combines with the fact that for many older people the digital environment seems “a safe place.” After all, it is a social network where their children and grandchildren play and where “they’re only watching videos, so they let their guard down in suspicious situations such as private messages asking for personal data,” notes Gijón.Forwarding frenzyThe latest phenomenon to jump from the general public to this demographic in particular is AI. “You probably have older relatives or acquaintances who love artificial intelligence. You may know because they’ve sent you AI‑generated images by WhatsApp to wish you a happy birthday or to mark any holiday, big or small, that the internet insists on celebrating,” writes Josiah Gogarty in the British edition of GQ.Let the first person who hasn’t sent or received digitally generated memes or photographic ‘frankensteins’ in dubious taste cast the first stone, but snobbery is not advised with older users. María Quevedo, treatment director at Clínica RECAL (a center whose detox therapies include some specific to new‑technology addiction), stresses that often behind that seemingly random activity there is a legitimate emotional need: to feel close to younger people in their circle, take part in their lives, have something to share or simply be entertained. “That kitten video, that impossible recipe or that outlandish news item can actually be a way of saying ‘I’m thinking of you’ or ‘I want to share something with you.’ So my advice is not to ridicule or respond with reproaches. If we tell our mother that she sends us nonsense or our aunt that she’s addicted to her phone, we’ll probably make her feel rejected and defensive,” she explains.“The feeling some older people have is that they are in a safe place, a social network where their children and granddaughters are and where they’re only watching videos, so they let their guard down in suspicious situations”María Gijón“We must remember that the goal is not to make someone stop communicating, but to recover richer, more meaningful communication. Because receiving fifty videos from someone does not necessarily mean feeling accompanied by that person,” she says.On Reddit, there is a thread called “Are all of our parents addicted to their phones?” where many users share their experiences. “My dad came to visit my family for a few days a little over a year ago, and I think his phone was in his hand 90% of the time he was here and awake,” says one user. “Even when he was asleep in the guest room, I could hear his phone blasting videos until it died. It was really disappointing, especially since I thought he would want to do more with his grandchildren besides plop them in front of the TV so he could sit with them while still on his phone that was perpetually plugged into the charger so it wouldn’t die.”“My dad [is] endlessly texts in his family group chat with his sisters, just sharing pictures and memes,” says another. “The same people who told me, ‘Don’t believe everything you see on TV’ are literally sharing AI images.” Again, this is not something people of all ages don’t do, but if the relationship allows it, there is room for some education. “Sometimes it’s their morning entertainment and, if it’s not stopping them from doing other more important things, I’d let it pass… However, why not mention the environmental cost of recurringly using AI or, for example, point out that photos of minors or other people should not be uploaded without their consent. With good intentions, a lot of family photos are being uploaded to AI,” she explains.Fake peopleGiven how easy it is to create videos using artificial intelligence, Facebook has become a perfect place for accounts that post content designed to arouse sexual desire. “Do you have a second for me? I don’t want to disturb you. I know I’m just a dumb, little 5-foot-3 gymnast but would you still give me a heart in the comments?” says Issy Dexan, a character created with artificial intelligence, in a reel. The video has more than 1,500 comments. “You are not a 5-foot dumb little gymnast. Don’t sell yourself short. Follow your dreams. Stay on track. Be kind to others even if they’re not kind to you; they’re teaching you how not to be. You will be just fine,” replies a man.“We must not turn technology into the enemy of our elders. Social networks can be a wonderful tool to maintain bonds and fight loneliness, as long as they do not replace human contact”María QuevedoIn The Age of Addiction: How Bad Habits Became Big Business, a book that reflects on how to resist temptations that rewire the brain, David T. Courtwright discusses the term time suck, defined in Urban Dictionary as something “engrossing and addictive, but that prevents you from doing other things that really matter, like earning a living, eating or caring for your children.” Like other addictive behaviors, time sucks are self‑perpetuating. If neglecting real‑life obligations creates stress and immersing oneself in the virtual world generates loneliness, anxiety and depression, then the solution is to escape. Like slot machines, social networks also provide alternative flow states through virtual shortcuts that exact a price in money, time and a loss in real‑life achievements, satisfactions and patience in favor of another, more direct virtual life, he writes.Quevedo says the problem emerges when the phone stops being a window on the world and becomes the whole world. “First, it displaces other activities fundamental to well‑being in aging, such as in‑person relationships, physical exercise, reading, hobbies and rest. It can also promote isolation, disrupt sleep schedules and increase feelings of anxiety or unease,” she tells EL PAÍS. She adds that for older people attention must be paid to a progressive replacement of real life by digital life. “Technology should enrich daily life, not impoverish it. It’s not about taking their phones away, but about ensuring they continue to have a life beyond them,” she warns.Tech companies, aware that older people are a growing market, are launching products tailored to their needs, such as headphones that also function as hearing aids and smartwatches that perform electrocardiograms. “Retirement is starting to look a lot less about golf and more about Grand Theft Auto,” notes The Economist.Charlie Warzel also asks readers of The Atlantic whether their parents have a problem with screen addiction. “Screen-time panics typically position children as being without agency, completely at the mercy of evil tech companies that adults must intervene to defend against. But a version of the problem exists on the opposite side of the age spectrum, too: instead of a phone-based childhood, a phone-based retirement,” he writes. “True, we shouldn’t assume that older people are dupes, but this is a system run by tech giants that reward engagement, not quality: for people with more free time than they know what to do with, who may already be struggling with isolation or other mental-health issues, the glowing screen may be an irresistible temptation.”María Quevedo offers a positive note: “We must not turn technology into the enemy of our elders. Social networks can be a wonderful tool to maintain bonds and fight loneliness, as long as they do not replace human contact. We don’t want them to live less connected, but to be connected in a more conscious, healthy and enriching way.”Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition