Can people continue using smartphones throughout their lives? The need for measures against ``smartphone retirement,'' which is difficult to use due to aging

Can people continue to use smartphones for the rest of their lives? This is a matter of concern as smartphones have now become an indispensable infrastructure for daily life, but it has been confirmed that people are retiring from smartphones, where it becomes difficult to use them due to the decline in cognitive and physical functions due to aging, and it seems necessary to consider countermeasures similar to those for returning driver's licenses. My concern is how to communicate with my elderly parents who live far away. They don't answer my phone or call me back... This time, I would like to take a look at the videophone service that is being used as an alternative by the worried children. The device connects to the TV in your parent's home and automatically activates, allowing you to converse with your parents and other people present.

80s is a turning point for 1 in 6 people...

According to Chikaku (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), a company that operates Chikaku, a video calling service that does not require Wi-Fi, it is estimated that about one in six elderly people living alone are retired from smartphones.

In August, we surveyed 198 men and women with parents (in their 70s to 90s) living alone who use smartphones, and 34 answered that they had difficulty or had given up on contacting their parents via smartphone. The number one cause was a decline in cognitive functions such as forgetfulness at 62%, followed by a decline in eyes and ears at 44%, and difficulty using the hands and fingers at 35%, which also overlaps with the reasons for returning a driver's license.

``It is recognized that the reason older people find it difficult to use smartphones is due to a lack of knowledge about digital devices and literacy issues, but the reality is that they have no choice but to give up due to the aging phenomenon.More than half of them say the turning point is in their 80s,'' said President Kenji Kajiwara (50).

The baby boomer generation (born between 1942 and 1942), who now use smartphones, will gradually enter their 80s from next year. This may be a surprisingly pressing issue.