Older people living in areas where sub-30Mbps broadband is more common also face a higher burden of depression-related prescribing, according to new research from King’s College London. The finding does not mean a slow connection causes depression, but it suggests broadband quality may be part of a much wider picture affecting health and independence in later life.
Researchers combined Ofcom broadband data with local antidepressant prescribing figures across England, concentrating on places with high levels of income deprivation or lower social grades. They found the relationship varied around the country, with priority areas including post-industrial communities in the North West and Midlands, and remote or ageing communities in northern and south-western England.
Crucially, this is not an argument for selling every pensioner gigabit broadband. In highly deprived older communities, reliable coverage between 30Mbps and 300Mbps, together with decent upload performance, appeared more consistently relevant than the very fastest connections. Video calls, health appointments and everyday online services need dependability far more than a spectacular number on an advert.
Image Credit: King’s College London
King’s College London’s Strand Campus in central London
Why a dependable connection can change daily life
The possible explanation is fairly ordinary. A poor connection can make a video appointment freeze, interrupt a call with family or turn a simple online form into an ordeal. Dr Mariana Pinto da Costa said broadband may influence access to health information, telehealth, online services, video communication and social support, although the research did not test those routes directly.
That wider exclusion is already substantial. Age UK found that 31% of over-60s said life had become harder as more services moved online. Separate charity analysis estimated that 2.4 million older people used the internet less than monthly or not at all. Better broadband cannot solve confidence, affordability or skills, but a poor line adds another barrier.
The researchers studied local areas rather than following individual people, and used local antidepressant prescribing as an indication of depression-related demand. That means the results cannot tell us whether somebody’s broadband affected their mental health. Other differences between communities may be involved, and the authors say longer-term research using individual health and internet-use data is now needed.
