Older People and Digital Technologies: Regulatory, Social and Institutional Profiles

This article aims to analyse the relationship between older people and digital technologies starting from a perspective that questions the Italian socio-legal context and arguing that systemic ageism produces a “grey digital divide” that is cultural and symbolic as well as technical. It surveys regulatory developments and shows a gap between legal accessibility norms and operational practice. Social and infrastructural barriers – technostress, credential management, poor usability and territorial disparities – reduce older people’s access to services. The authors advocate practices of co-design, intergenerational training, assisted digital access and the coexistence of analogue channels. Institutional reforms recommended include binding usability standards, monitoring and sanctions, public funding for lifelong digital literacy and local help desks. While AI offers inclusion opportunities (voice assistants, telemedicine), it may entrench bias if older people are underrepresented in datasets. The article calls for integrated legislative, educational and infrastructural policies to ensure an equitable, rights-based digital transition.