With three-quarters of older Irish people never using the internet, the Department of Communications yesterday backed a tool to encourage new users to get online.
“Internet Buttons” allows confident users to create an easy-to-use, custom-made browser for people who are new to the web or find it confusing.
The tool has been used in the UK to increase web use among older people.
Eurostat data for 2010 showed 74 per cent of Irish people aged 65 to 74 have never used the internet, compared with the EU average of 67 per cent.
“If we are to create a truly inclusive digital future for Ireland, it is crucial that internet usage increases among those currently not online,” Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte said.
The tool, designed by not-for-profit We Are What We Do, is being made available for free by UPC on internetbuttons.ie.
“Internet Buttons is a really useful tool in this regard, helping to show non-users just how simple and useful the internet can be,” Mr Rabbitte said.