Older people are using TikTok to fight ageist stereotypes, research finds.
The video-sharing platform - which is perceived as the domain of Gen Z and younger - is being deployed by those over 60-years-old, according to academics at Yale University.
Dr Reuben Ng, an assistant professor at the Ivy League university and author of the paper ‘Not Too Old for Tik Tok: How Older Adults are Reframing Ageing’ said, according to the Guardian: “These TikTok elders have become successful content creators in a powerful counter-cultural phenomenon in which older persons actually contest the stereotypes of old age by embracing or even celebrating their aged status.
He added that most of those in the study’s relevant bracket are older women who ““fiercely resist common stereotypes of older women as passive, mild-mannered and weak, instead opting to present themselves as fierce or even foul-mouthed”.
Dr Ng argues - after looking at 1,382 videos posted by users over 60-years old with between 100,000 and 5.3 million followers - there exists “considerable evidence” that young social media users commit ageism.
He said: “There is considerable evidence that ageist stereotypes preponderate among the young on social media.
Dr Ng - whose paper that will be published in the Gerontologist journal looked at accounts such as @grandadjoe1933 and @dolly_broadway who both have millions of followers - believes their prevalence on the app is “vital” in fighting the problem.
He said: “The strength of anti-age prejudices means the participation of older adults in social media is vital in ensuring that such ageist ideas are not left unchallenged.
The Pew Research Centre have found in 2019 that 73 per cent of over-65s accessed the internet, a number that stood at 14 per cent in 2000. They also found that 81 per cent of people between 60 and 69 own a smartphone.
