Key Challenges and Barriers to Digital Literacy for Older Adults: Scoping Review

Despite rising internet use in Canada, older adults continue to face significant barriers in adopting and using digital technologies. Digital literacy among older adults extends beyond technical proficiency, encompassing adaptation to new technologies, overcoming age-related limitations, and addressing socioeconomic disparities. Limited digital skills hinder social participation, access to essential services, and engagement with eHealth technologies, exacerbating disparities in health outcomes.

This scoping review aimed to identify key barriers to digital literacy among older adults, synthesizing evidence from existing literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges older adults face in adopting and utilizing digital technologies.

A systematic search was conducted across the Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCOhost databases to identify studies published in the past 10 years that examined digital literacy barriers among older adults. Data extraction captured population characteristics, study context, research methods, and outcomes, which were thematically analyzed to identify overarching categories and themes.

A total of 22 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most studies used a qualitative design (n=16, 72.72%), with the remaining studies comprising 3 quantitative studies (13.63%) and 3 reviews (13.63%). Seven primary barriers to digital literacy among older adults were identified: (1) health barriers, (2) support networks, (3) convenience and ease of use, (4) knowledge and information, (5) perception barriers, (6) resource barriers, and (7) barriers for special populations. Within these themes, 18 associated categories provided a more detailed understanding of the challenges older adults face in adopting and using digital technologies.

These findings demonstrate that digital literacy challenges among older adults are shaped by interacting individual, social, and contextual factors rather than isolated skill deficits. Barriers often co-occur, with health-related limitations, access to support, technology design, and resource constraints jointly influencing digital engagement. This review highlights the need for integrated and inclusive digital literacy strategies that address compounded barriers and reflect the diverse circumstances of older adults. Future research should focus on establishing consistent definitions of digital literacy, evaluating the long-term impact of digital inclusion initiatives, and addressing the needs of subpopulations experiencing heightened or intersecting barriers.