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Retirees Can Teach Kids About Social Media

Retirees Can Teach Kids About Social Media. 

Youngsters often make fun of how us ‘oldies’ use technology and particularly social media, but there is much we can teach them about social connections. 


The 2018 Yellow Media Social Media Report found that while about 67% of retirees use social media, only a quarter of us use it on a daily basis. While this is much less than the overall population (where 62% are daily users), it shows that seniors are definitely engaged.

In contemporary society, young users tend to take advantage of any opportunity to engage with social media often forgetting the importance of forming connections in person. Here, we can show that despite being significant users of social media, we can still balance it with interpersonal connections.

Retirees already demonstrate a great attitude towards social media by not using it to the degree young users do. We are less likely to check our accounts when commuting, during lunch time, at breaks and before going to bed. We are also more focused on developing healthier habits encouraging an active lifestyle for the youngsters.

This is where Probus becomes so important. Probus is all about providing retirees Fun, Friendship and Fellowship in retirement beyond the social interactions of social media. Retirees are able to maintain an active lifestyle all while forming meaningful relationships through connecting with likeminded people in their local area.

In an environment where the tech industry is taking the lead in teaching our youngsters about social media and technology, there is definitely space for us to teach the importance of social interaction beyond social media. 

*Some information provided by an article ‘What younger people can learn from older people about using technology’ by Bernardo Figueiredo, Linda Brennan and Torgeir Aleti as originally published on The Conversation. Used with permission.