Internet Use Rises Among Brazilian Seniors, Declines for Young Children
Internet usage among Brazilians aged 60 and over saw a significant increase, rising from 70.1% in 2024 to 74.5% in 2025, according to the National Household Sample Survey released by the IBGE. This represents a substantial growth of 29.6 percentage points since 2019, with the IBGE attributing the rise to greater technological accessibility and societal integration. Conversely, children aged 10 to 13 experienced a slight decrease in internet access, falling from 84.9% to 84.4% in 2025, making them the only age group to show a decline. For this younger demographic, the primary reasons cited for not using the internet were a perceived lack of necessity (33.8%) and concerns about privacy and security (30.3%).
A similar trend was observed in mobile phone usage. Among seniors, access grew from 78.3% to 80.3% between 2024 and 2025, while for children aged 10 to 13, it dropped from 56.7% to 55.2%, with privacy and security being the main concern for this group. Overall, internet penetration in Brazil reached 90.5% of the population aged 10 and above in 2025, totaling 168.7 million people, an increase from 89.2% in 2024. The most common online activities included voice/video calls (95.3%), messaging (90.2%), watching videos (89.3%), social media (84.9%), and consuming audio content (83.7%), with 98.7% of users accessing the internet via mobile phones. The digital divide between urban and rural areas continues to narrow, with the gap decreasing from 37.5 percentage points in 2016 to 8.5 percentage points in 2025.
The diverging internet access trends between Brazilian seniors and young children highlight evolving digital literacy and adoption patterns. While seniors' increasing engagement suggests successful digital inclusion initiatives and the growing necessity of online services, the decline among young children warrants attention. This shift, particularly the stated reasons of lack of necessity and privacy concerns, may indicate a re-evaluation of digital engagement by parents and children, potentially driven by increased awareness of online risks or a preference for offline activities. From a systemic perspective, this demographic divergence could influence future digital service design, educational strategies, and even the nature of social interaction in an increasingly connected world. Understanding these nuanced shifts is crucial for ensuring equitable digital access and responsible technology use across all age groups in the coming decade.
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