Led by computing academics at Lancaster University in collaboration with researchers from University College London, the study examined how frequently adults aged 50 and over use the internet, and why some use it less than others.

The study’s authors examined nationally representative data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), which includes responses from more than 6,000 people, to also discover how ageing itself plays a part in how often people access the online world.

Their analysis reveals that most older people in England are using the internet a lot. ELSA data shows that more than 90% of people aged over 50 are regular (daily or monthly) internet users and internet use is higher than commonly assumed.

Although internet use is high, the analysis shows an age-related ‘digital divide’ among older people and their use of internet still persists, with internet use dropping with age. The data shows that 97.7% of people aged 50-64-years-old are regularly digitally active; 91.1% among those aged 65-79-years-old, and 65.7% of those aged 80 and older.

A new study in the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics assessed life trajectories of children in Lesotho, Africa, across a wide range of educational and later-life outcomes. The study found that children who enrolled in primary school at an older age—despite an initial disadvantage in years of schooling—were more likely to remain in school through adolescence, obtained higher total years of schooling, and developed greater literacy than children who began primary school at younger ages. The older children were also more likely to delay marriage, have fewer children, hold higher-earning jobs, and accumulate greater wealth.

A substantial amount of medical information provided by 5 popular chatbots is inaccurate and incomplete, with half of the answers to clear evidence based questions “somewhat” or “highly” problematic, show the results of a study published in the open access journal BMJ Open. Continued deployment of these chatbots without public education and oversight risks amplifying misinformation, warn the researchers.

The institute aims to expand sustainable, domestic sources and production of critical minerals. ICSM supports the full lifecycle of development—from geological discovery and responsible mining to processing and recycling—while addressing broader challenges, including community impact, market analysis and environmental regulation.