--- title: "Scientists Discover Strange Link Between Internet Use and Dementia" description: "Scientists have looked into internet use to see if it's at all linked with the likelihood of developing dementia." date: "2023-09-05" modified: "2023-09-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/internet-use-dementia" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "Aging" - "Alzheimer's" - "dementia" - "internet" --- # Scientists Discover Strange Link Between Internet Use and Dementia ![Scientists have looked into internet use to see if it's at all linked with the likelihood of developing dementia.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* Scientists investigated whether internet use is linked with the likelihood of developing dementia — and found, interestingly, that moderate and regular internet use seems to be cognitively *helpful* to older folks, even if their Facebook posts might sometimes suggest otherwise. Published in the August edition of the [*Journal of the American Geriatrics Society*](), the paper's authors at NYU's School of Global Public Health, were inspired by the dearth of research on the "long-term cognitive impact of internet usage among older adults," especially with most of what *is* out there focusing on the negative impacts of internet use rather than potential positives. The researchers followed the healthcare outcomes of dementia-free adults between the ages of 50 and 65 for up to 17 years using the University of Michigan's [Health and Retirement Study](), a longitudinal survey that contains information about 20,000 older American adults. Every two years between 2002 and 2018, the Michigan study's coordinators asked participants if they "regularly" used the internet and, if so, how much they used it. The answers varied, but 65 percent said they were regular users and 21 percent saw their habits change significantly over their participation period. Unfortunately, some participants either died or developed dementia during the period as well. Of those participants who were active users, the new study's authors found that there was a 1.54 percent risk of developing dementia, whereas non-users seemed to have a whopping 10.45 percent risk. Measuring the amount of time it took for the survey's participants to develop dementia, the *AGS* study found that regular internet users were just half as likely to develop the cognitive disorder than their non-using counterparts. An important caveat, though, was that there did seem to also be a correlation between using the internet *too much* and developing dementia as well, with the risk seeming to increase in those who used it for more than two hours per day. "Among older adults, regular internet users may experience a lower risk of dementia compared to non‐regular users, and longer periods of regular internet usage in late adulthood may help reduce the risks of subsequent dementia incidence," Gawon Cho, then at NYU, told [*Medscape Medical News*]() earlier this year of the study's findings. "Nonetheless, using the internet excessively daily may negatively affect the risk of dementia in older adults." As with many other studies, of course, there's always the chance that the relationship between correlation and causation is more complex than it appears. "It may be that regular internet usage is associated with increased cognitive stimulation, and in turn reduced risk of dementia," Claire Sexton of the Alzheimer's Association, who was not involved in the research, told *Medscape*, "or it may be that individuals with lower risk of dementia are more likely to engage in regular internet usage." To clarify that causation issue — and to better understand this link in the first place — Sexton said that there needs to be further research. But in the meantime, this new piece of evidence shows that maybe a little screen time isn't the worst thing in the world as you age. **More on dementia:** [*Scientists Find That Microplastics Cause Dementia-Like Symptoms in Mice*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()