Age for learning, age for teaching: the role of inter-generational, intra-household learning in Internet use by older adults in Latin America

Given the accelerated aging of the global population, countries must prepare to assure their older adults’ welfare. The Internet appears to be a means of ensuring that everybody, regardless of age, has access to information and can stay in touch. Data so far show the existence of a digital divide, so the question becomes: Is there a way to accelerate the digital inclusion of older adults? Using microdata from Buenos Aires (Argentina), Lima (Peru) and Guatemala City (Guatemala), this paper focuses on the role of younger people in the household in the process of Internet adoption by older adults. Regression analysis confirms that younger people play a pivotal role in the adoption process, but not in intensity of use, in which living with a spouse or partner is important for increasing the number of hours spent using the Internet.