E-Scan 39: Silver Surfers and Digital Footprints

E-SCAN 39: EVOLVING CRIME

E-Scan 39: Silver Surfers and Digital Footprints

Rethinking online risk across older cohorts.

As policy attention has increasingly focused on restricting social media access for under 16s due to concerns about online harm, this focus has reinforced a broader assumption that online risk is primarily a youth problem. This framing is not just incomplete; it risks obscuring where vulnerability is quietly expanding. Specifically, as today’s 60-somethings, who are already familiar with technology, enter retirement we have seen older cohorts spend more time online in a way unheard of in previous generations. 

Social media platforms and messaging services have been increasingly adopted to stay in touch with family, with the Australian Communications and Media Authority reporting that by June 2020 around 55 per cent of older Australians (65+ years) had used a communication app in the previous six months – up from 33 per cent in 2019. This trend is consistent with more recent global data, which highlights WhatsApp and Facebook as the most preferred platforms for adults aged 55-64. This reflects not only increased adoption, but sustained engagement, particularly on Meta-owned platforms designed around ease of use and social connection.

However, this popularity presents risks. Platforms such as Facebook are designed in ways that encourage ongoing disclosure. Features prioritise ease of posting through ‘click-to-share’ interfaces, prompts, and default settings that lower the threshold for sharing personal information, including birthdates, family events, travel, and references to relationships and caregiving roles. Over time, this created an environment where frequent, low-friction sharing become normalised.

While this routinised behaviour may seem harmless, the cumulative effect of repeated disclosures can create a detailed, interconnected digital footprint. For potential offenders this creates actionable intelligence. These fragments can be aggregated to enable targeting, profiling, and social engineering; dynamics that can lead to victimisation such as targeted break-ins or financial loss.

These risks are further pronounced in the context of changing family dynamics. As grandparents increasingly take on informal caregiving roles, their online activity can inadvertently increase the visibility of children’s identities, routines, and relationships. In this way, oversharing does not remain an individual risk, it can extend exposure across entire family networks. The Australian Federal Police has cautioned that images shared online may be taken, altered, or redistributed beyond their intended context, including emerging risks such as AI-generated content and established harms like targeted grooming. Guidance from the eSafety Commissioner also reinforces the need for carers to consider not only their own privacy and digital footprint, but the downstream implications of sharing information about children and grandchildren.

For policing, the implication of these shifting behaviours is twofold. Firstly, whilst online harm continues to be framed primarily as a youth issue, prevention strategies, public messaging, and resource allocation risk remaining misaligned with where exposure is increasing. Secondly, it should be noted how everyday behaviours that take place online are passively creating exploitable vulnerabilities. 
Without targeted intervention, the continued expansion of digital engagement among older Australians is likely to increase both the scale and sophistication of victimisation. This is not simply a matter of awareness, but of prevention: reducing the availability of exploitable personal information before it can be used. By building awareness of the risks of oversharing and embedding this understanding into prevention strategies, police can reduce opportunities for victimisation while supporting safer online environments across generations.

More from E-Scan 39.

BACK TO BLOG