ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Aging and Public Health
This article is part of the Research TopicTracing Loneliness in Aging: Understanding the Interplay and Exploring Innovative InterventionsView all 6 articles
Digital Connectivity and Healthy Aging in China: How Internet Use Shapes Subjective Well-being Through Social Engagement and Isolation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, China
- 2Yunnan University, Kunming, China
- 3Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
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While the relationship between Internet use and subjective well-being has attracted substantial scholarly attention, empirical evidence regarding its causal mechanisms remains inconclusive. This study examines how Internet use influences subjective well-being among older adults using survey data from 518 respondents across six communities in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. Results indicate that Internet use demonstrates a significant positive association with subjective well-being when mediating variables are excluded from the analysis. However, the direct effect becomes statistically non-significant after introducing social engagement and social isolation as parallel mediators, suggesting full mediation. These findings reveal that Internet use enhances subjective well-being indirectly through its effects on reducing social isolation and promoting social engagement among elderly populations. Grounded in social support theory, this research provides culturally contextualized insights for developing digital inclusion strategies to promote healthy aging in China.
Keywords: Internet use, Subjective well-being, social engagement, Social Isolation, Elderly, China
Received: 23 Oct 2025; Accepted: 30 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kuang, Yang, Li and Tian. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xueqing Tian, luckytianxueqing@163.com
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