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In advance of planned Zoom training sessions sponsored through a “TekConnect” grant from Spectrum, BenitoLink distributed a survey to guests attending the Mary Velasco Sellen Senior Center lunch at San Juan Bautista’s Casa Maria in early spring.
The questions were intended to gauge the group’s level of internet access and computer experience. While only 28 of the approximately 60 people at the lunch responded, it was enough to gain insight into the group, much of which seemed to align with national trends.
According to a 2022 Pew Research study, there has been a steady and dramatic increase in tech usage by people 65 years and older over the past two decades.
Smartphone ownership in that age group, for example, grew from 13% in 2012 to 61% in 2021. Social media use also increased, but at a slower pace, from 11% in 2010 to 45% in 2021. Tablet ownership in 2010 was almost nonexistent at 4%, rising to 44% in 2021.
Seniors, however, have significantly lagged behind younger people in the use of electronic technology. In 2012, smartphone ownership by those aged 18-29, was already higher than current senior use at 66%. And by 2021, adoption by the 18-29 group had grown to 96%. The next age group, 30-49, was at 95%.
The numbers have grown since then. A 2025 Pew study on broadband usage placed smartphone ownership by adults under 50 at 97%, with those over 65 rising to 78%.
Among the seniors in Spectrum-BenitoLink’s survey, 21 of the 28 respondents (75%) were using some device to connect to the internet, but only 17 (61%) said they own a smartphone. Four connected to the internet using only a laptop, with one also using a tablet. Seven people, or 25%, did not indicate that they own an electronic device of any kind.
Of the 21 people who owned at least one device, 17 respondents (81%) owned smartphones, 10 (48%) owned a laptop, 9 (43%) owned a tablet, and four (19%) owned a desktop.
Of the people who regularly used a device to access the internet, 18 assessed their own skill level running from “skilled” (one, or 5.6%), “confident” (eight, or 44%), “learning” (seven, or 39%) or “new” (two, or 11%).
Our intention was to offer instruction on using Zoom, and, perhaps surprisingly, 14 (67%) said they had some experience with the application, with half rating themselves as “confident or skilled and the rest as “learning.”
The daily use of the internet by this group, whether beginners or experienced, is largely linked to reliance on the internet for news and information. Of the 17 who responded to a question about where they got their news, only three did not include an internet source.
Many could not specify what source they used, making only indistinct references to browser searches. Others listed BenitoLink, Apple News, San Jose Mercury, National Public Radio and Facebook, among others, as information sources.
Coupled with this was one of the main issues expressed by the respondents: which online sources can be trusted? Nine of the 14 people who answered this question cited false information, scams, internet safety and identity loss as concerns.
According to a 2025 study by the American Association of Retired Persons, one-third of seniors have similar concerns about the internet, and with good reason.
A 2025 FBI report cited those over 60 as being the major targets of online fraud, accounting for $7.749 billion—34%—of the $20.9 billion lost in 2025. This is an increase of 26% over 2024.
Admittedly, ours was a small, localized sample, but it shows that there is a need for the kind of assistance that the TekConnect grant is designed to provide.
In the coming months, BenitoLink will also be working with the Hollister senior community to assess its skill levels and concerns.
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