Seniors are accelerating their integration with social media and increasingly demanding better access to the internet, according to a report released over the weekend.

China had more than 1.03 billion internet users by the end of last year, with 119 million netizens aged 60 or above, according to the 49th China Statistical Report on Internet Development issued by the China Internet Network Information Center on Feb 26.

The report said older adults are showing they are becoming as internet savvy as other age groups. Figures showed that 69.7 percent of senior netizens can independently display their health and travel codes as part of COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control efforts; 52.1 percent can purchase their daily necessities online; and 46.2 percent can surf the internet to look up information.

Zhang Jingwang, a 71-year-old who lives in Beijing's Changping district, said he has used his mobile phone to access the internet for several years, and he can handle basic operations such as conducting video calls, reading news and paying for items online.

"The internet has made many things more convenient in our daily lives, but many operations and apps are still very complicated and unfriendly for the elderly. We can only handle easy things," he said. "I have often read in the news that we should solve the digital divide between the old and the young and make it more convenient for us, but I don't feel that this is really happening."

Zhang recalled trying to make an online appointment to see a doctor in 2020. He said he was asked to fill in a lot of information on the reservation system, and he eventually gave up trying to sign up on his own. But when he asked his grandson for help, it only took several minutes for the task to be completed.

"Many older people in our community have also encountered similar problems," Zhang said. "Young people can easily find information on the internet, but we don't know whom to ask when we have problems, except for our family members."

He also suggested more senior-friendly apps be developed.

"There is a big difference between the old and the young in terms of their ability to adapt and learn. We may need to study for several days to reach the level that my grandchildren could achieve quickly," he said. "I think elderly-oriented systems need to be developed, rather than asking us to adapt to the same ones for the young."

To that end, the central government has taken multiple measures to create convenient conditions for seniors to integrate into online life. In December, the State Council, China's Cabinet, issued a national plan for the development of a service system for the aged and the elderly during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period that will help them become more familiar with information technology and intelligent hardware such as the internet, big data, artificial intelligence and 5G.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a notice in February last year aiming to resolve the difficulties seniors have using technology. Two months later it released specifications for the general design of websites and apps that are more senior-friendly.