Grandmas, it seems, have taken to Facebook. And although the site is phasing out of popularity among young people, seniors are fully embracing it. The number of adults 65 and older who use the Internet has increased to 59 per cent from 14 per cent since 2000. And in that group, nearly half use a social-networking site such as Facebook.

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This article was published 25/10/2014 (2810 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Grandmas, it seems, have taken to Facebook. And although the site is phasing out of popularity among young people, seniors are fully embracing it. The number of adults 65 and older who use the Internet has increased to 59 per cent from 14 per cent since 2000. And in that group, nearly half use a social-networking site such as Facebook.

"As you get older, you become socially isolated, especially when your family lives far away. So an opportunity to get online and see what their grandkids are up to this weekend? That really appeals to them" says Saffron Cassaday, the director of Cyber Seniors, a 2014 documentary about teenagers teaching residents of retirement homes how to use the Internet.

In a way, it's easy to see how Facebook could have been made to please grandparents. It gives them a chance to be involved in their family members' lives even from afar. That's why retirement centres and senior-supportive charities have been pushing social-media use. It's like the new bingo night.

-- The Washington Post