Tablet usage is prompting more older adults in...

Tablet usage is prompting more older adults in the U.K. to go online, the Office of Communications said Tuesday in a report on adults’ media use and attitudes (http://bit.ly/1m6wEJR). The survey, for which 2,674 people aged 16 and over were interviewed, found that 83 percent now go online using any kind of device in any location, with those 65 and over showing a 9 percent increase over the 2012 survey figure, it said. The number of adults using tablets to access the Internet rose from 16 percent in 2012 to 30 percent last year; use by people 35-64 doubled, while use by 65-74-year-olds trebled from 5 percent to 17 percent, the report said. Older adults are also more likely now to play games on mobile phones or the Internet, it said. Younger users tend to have a more liberal approach to regulation and moderation, and to use a range of strategies to manage their online experience proactively, while older people seem to prefer a more moderated and regulated experience, it said. The survey also found that compared to 2012 there are fewer non-users of the Internet now, with 12 percent saying they don’t have or want access at home, down from 15 percent two years ago.