The rapid development of internet and mobile technology has increasingly changed people's lives. For the majority, a smartphone brings convenience, but for many elderly people who don't master related skills, they are inevitably left behind.

The issue appears to have become particularly apparent during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Jan 6, an elderly man who could not show his health code－a smartphone app that tracks people's movements to show their risk levels to COVID-19 infection－was not allowed to board a bus in Fushun city, Northeast China's Liaoning province. The topic triggered a heated public discussion on social media.

According to a report launched by the China Internet Network Information Center in June, more than 90 million internet users, or 10.3 percent of the national total, were aged 60 or above. However, the total population aged 60 or above in China is 253.88 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.