ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2023
Internet usage and the prospective risk of dementia: A population-based cohort study.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Associations Between Digital Exclusion and Physical or Cognitive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JMIR aging · 2026Pooled it
- A meta-analysis of technology use and cognitive aging.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Positive association between Internet use and mental health among adults aged ≥50 years in 23 countries.Nature human behaviour · 2025Pooled it
- Complete Digital Disconnection as a Prognostic Marker of Mortality or Residential-Care Transition in Older Adults With Cardiovascular Risk: A Nationally Representative Cohort Study.Research square · 2026Article
- Smartphone use and cognitive performance in middle-aged and older adults: a cross-sectional study in China.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Twenty-year trends in cognitive performance and modifiable dementia risk factors: a Swiss population-based study.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Television and computer use and dementia risk in older adults with limited leisure or social activities: A prospective cohort study.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- 'Brain Rot' Among University Students in the Digital Age: A Phenomenological Study.Current psychiatry reports · 2026Review
- Digital Engagement and Cognitive Function Among Older Adults in China: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study and Moderated Mediation Model Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Short-form video usage and cognitive function among rural older adults in northern China: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Beyond access: how heterogeneity of internet use differentially shapes cognitive function among Chinese older adults.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Sources of inequality in "living well" with dementia: an intersectional analysis using a British cohort study.Innovation in aging · 2026Article
- Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review.Brain sciences · 2025Review
- Technology for sustainable living: The impact of digital inclusion on the health of China's elderly living alone.SSM - population health · 2025Article
- Variables associated with cognitive function: an exposome-wide and mendelian randomization analysis.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2025Article
- Internet use, physical activity, and cognitive function in Chinese older adults: a cross-lagged panel analysis.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2025Article
- Thai Older Persons' Digital Capacity and Application of Technology for Healthy Aging: A Mixed-Method Study.Journal of aging research · 2025Article
- Association Between Visual Impairment and Daily Internet Use Among Older Japanese Individuals: Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Technology Assistance in Dementia (Tech-AiD): A Framework for Care in the Digital Age.Journal of health service psychology · 2024Article
- Does Helping Others Always Benefit Health? Longitudinal Evidence on the Relationship between Helping Behavior and Depression: The Mediating Role of Life Satisfaction and the Moderating Effect of IADL.Depression and anxiety · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundLittle is known about the long-term cognitive impact of internet usage among older adults. This research characterized the association between various measures of internet usage and dementia.
methodsWe followed dementia-free adults aged 50-64.9 for a maximum of 17.1 (median = 7.9) years using the Health and Retirement Study. The association between time-to-dementia and baseline internet usage was examined using cause-specific Cox models, adjusting for delayed entry and covariates. We also examined the interaction between internet usage and education, race-ethnicity, sex, and generation. Furthermore, we examined whether the risk of dementia varies by the cumulative period of regular internet usage to see if starting or continuing usage in old age modulates subsequent risk. Finally, we examined the association between the risk of dementia and daily hours of usage. Analyses were conducted from September 2021 to November 2022.
resultsIn 18,154 adults, regular internet usage was associated with approximately half the risk of dementia compared to non-regular usage, CHR (cause-specific hazard ratio) = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.46-0.71. The association was maintained after adjustments for self-selection into baseline usage (CHR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.41-0.72) and signs of cognitive decline at the baseline (CHR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.46-0.85). The difference in risk between regular and non-regular users did not vary by educational attainment, race-ethnicity, sex, and generation. In addition, additional periods of regular usage were associated with significantly reduced dementia risk, CHR = 0.80, 95% CI = 0.68-0.95. However, estimates for daily hours of usage suggested a U-shaped relationship with dementia incidence. The lowest risk was observed among adults with 0.1-2 h of usage, though estimates were non-significant due to small sample sizes.
conclusionsRegular internet users experienced approximately half the risk of dementia than non-regular users. Being a regular internet user for longer periods in late adulthood was associated with delayed cognitive impairment, although further evidence is needed on potential adverse effects of excessive usage.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.