Landscape architect Sirle Salmistu, who studies how public spaces shape social life, and media literacy researcher Maia Klaassen weighed in on the challenges today's seniors face.

Contrary to the belief that seniors are strangers to the digital world, Salmistu and Klaassen note that older adults are often actually engaged in multiple information spaces simultaneously — like when scrolling their phones while sitting in front of the TV, with the radio on in the background.

Salmistu added that many also still assume all printed material is true. "[You have to] explain that even newspapers have opinion pieces," she said. "What someone writes in one isn't necessarily fact; it's their opinion."

Klaassen said the challenge isn't finding information, but rather sifting through an overwhelming amount of it. That can be a challenge at any age.

"If you, dear listener, feel like you don't know what your local government has been up to lately, consider where you went to look that information up," she said. "The claim 'nobody told me' doesn't really hold up in the year 2026."

Nowadays, along with the resulting fatigue from information overload, there's also the risk of misinformation and AI-generated content — and according to Eurobarometer data, the entire population struggles with spotting the latter.

The media literacy expert noted that aimlessly scrolling and absorbing content without engaging is a trap anyone with a smart device can easily fall into as well.

"A senior living alone somewhere out in the woods may spend hours on Facebook simply to stay connected to the world at all," Klaassen said. But not all screen time is equal.

"Sometimes I do very useful things [online], sometimes completely pointless ones," she admitted. "I think a key part of media literacy is being able to recognize the difference."

Klaassen emphasized that teaching seniors specific movements or gestures for using their phones isn't enough; helping them understand the systems behind the apps is crucial as well.

"[Otherwise] the moment your dear grandchild has shown you to press the yellow button, log in and then pay your bill, the second that yellow button turns green, the sequence falls apart," she explained.

Not just online, but in person

Salmistu stressed that public spaces also play a vital role in seniors' lives.

While digital spaces can feel crowded, physical public spaces often lack simple areas to spend leisure time in — sometimes even just benches.

"Social relationships, especially for older adults, are vital," Salmistu said. "But for them to work, there needs to be a place to meet."

She noted that while facilities like picnic areas and petanque pitches are more common in Southern and Western Europe, Estonia shouldn't let excuses about bad weather prevent similar spaces and opportunities from being created locally.

Participatory budgeting initiatives, Klaassen added, should make shared spaces more enjoyable and provide places where people can simply sit quietly among others, "which is, of course, Estonians' favorite pastime."

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