Hong Kong will launch a citywide program later this year helping older people learn to use smartphones, digital public services and mobile apps, the special administrative region government announced on Monday.

The Digital Inclusion Programme for the Elderly, an initiative announced in the Budget 2024-25, aims to benefit at least 50,000 older people, Lillian Cheong Man-lei, undersecretary for innovation, technology and industry, told members of the Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting of the Legislative Council at a meeting.

Lawmakers attending the meeting urged the government to update the training courses regularly as the digital world is changing fast, and to identify elderly people’s actual needs in order to provide tailor-made courses

Cheong said the program will set up help desks in communities across the city to provide training on digital technologies as well as technical support to people aged 60 or above, especially those living alone or families comprising two senior people only.

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The training will focus on smartphone operation, the iAM Smart app – a one-stop government service platform as well as online shopping, electronic payment and anti-fraud education, according to the government.

Lawmakers attending the meeting urged the government to update the training courses regularly as the digital world is changing fast, and to identify elderly people’s actual needs in order to provide tailor-made courses.

Cheong listed the accomplishments of other digital inclusion programs that the government has introduced.

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The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund has funded over 50 projects promoting digital inclusion and the use of digital technologies to improve older people’s health and quality of life as of April, benefiting over 21,000 people.

Launched in 2019, the Enriched ICT Training Programme for the Elderly has offered over 230 free courses featuring basic knowledge of digital technology to older people, with in excess of 12,000 beneficiaries.

The web-based platform Elderly IT Learning Portal has attracted 580,000 views and 33 million hits since 2019.

Contact the writer at stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com